Loved Like I Should But Lived Like I Shouldn't
by JKing88
Summary: Recently divorced Will Horton starts seeing someone for the first time since leaving his old life in Salem behind. But is his new man such a stranger after all? Will/?. Rated M for smut.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or settings. Title and song lyrics belong to Rascal Flats entitled, "I'm Moving On". I suggest listening to it while you read.

Rated M for vulgar talk about sex but no actual sex scenes. Also, there's very little dialogue it's mostly character introspection and exposition. Warning the characters don't have favorable opinions of Sonny so if you can't handle that you might not want to read.

* * *

_I've lived in this place and I know all the faces_

_Each one is different but they're always the same_

_They mean me no harm but it's time that I face it_

_They'll never allow me to change_

_But I never dreamed home would end up where I don't belong_

_I'm movin' on_

* * *

Will sank onto the bar stool in front of him. Gazing at his surroundings Will almost winced at the opulence of the bar. He was not used to marble counter tops, art deco lighting and loud, confusing techno music. Then again the only club he ever spent time in was back home, _'And I certainly can't spend time there now'_, Will thought bitterly. '_No, no thinking about that. No thinking about **H**__**im**__. Tonight is all about moving forward. New Will hangs out in fancy bars with blinding lights and drinks he can't pronounce.' _

Forcing his shoulders back and his spine to lengthen Will caught the eye of the bartender. He ordered the night's specialty and winced at the overwhelming taste of vodka. Will quickly put the martini glass back on the obnoxious counter top, vowing to pace himself. He can still remember being an angry and confused teenager stumbling around drunk. He doesn't need New Will to repeat some of his earliest mistakes.

Over the next twenty minutes Will attempted to get up and move to the dance floor. '_New Will is confident and dances at bars. He likes weird techno music and too much vodka in his cocktails. He is young and handsome and not afraid of anything. OK, just take a drink and get up.'_

Just as Will was about to stand up a man slunk onto the stool next to him. Will turned his head and shifted uncomfortably when he noticed the man was openly staring at Will. Will quickly turned back to his drink, face heating up and lips clamped firmly together.

"Hey," a deep voice shouted at Will above the pounding of a bass line. The loud music made it almost impossible to hear but the stranger had moved closer.

Will slowly turned toward the man apprehensively only to be met with dark blue eyes and a wicked smirk.

"I saw you sitting here alone and it looked like you were having a pretty intense battle with yourself there," the man chuckled, "I figured you might need a neutral party to help you out."

Will, blue eyes widening, "Oh, um. Yeah. I guess I was," thinking about the confident New Will, "I was trying to convince myself to get on the dance floor."

The blue-eyed-stranger hopped off his stool with a bounce. Without saying a word he smoothly grabbed Will's hand and yanked him to his feet. Laughing Will stumbled slightly before following him out on the dance floor. With flashing lights switching colors overhead Will closed his eyes, focusing on the beat. Will's body reacted to the music when large, warm hands settled low on his hips. When his eyes opened blue eyes smirked darkly and pulled Will closer, encouraging his hips to rock to the beat.

Shyly smiling, Will finally took a good look at his dance partner. He was a few inches taller than Will making his head crane back a bit to get a good look. In addition to the vibrant blue eyes he had light brown hair thickly swept away from his forehead. Will's arms were wrapped around broad shoulders that felt firm under his hands. Meekly looking back into his eyes Will flushed brightly when he noticed the dark eyes never once strayed from Will's own face. Will smiled to himself when he boldly moved even closer until their entire bodies were pressed together. '_Apparently New Will is a good dancer.'_

Will tipped his head backwards when the song changed and his body ground provocatively against Mr. Blue Eyes'. Sweat pooled on his lower back and began to run down his neck. Will was glad for the pounding music when Blue eyes leaned forward, tongue catching the sweat on his neck, making Will whimper audibly. The vibration must have still been felt when Blue Eyes laughed against the hollow of his throat, hands sliding to cup Will's ass firmly.

Empowered by the bright lights and seductive music Will brazenly tangled his hands in the thick mane of hair. Blue Eyes met Will halfway when Will yanked his head away from his neck and towards his lips. Will's fingers dug into the brown hair harshly overwhelmed by the heat that surrounded him. Groaning deeply Will undulated his hips faster when he felt fingertips dip into the waist band of his jeans, skimming against his bare ass.

The two separated, foreheads pressed together, panting against lips. Blue Eyes moved his head and whispered hotly against Will's ears, "Come with me to my hotel."

Will nodded mutely, words caught in his throat while his earlobe was gently suckled.

* * *

Will collapsed against the bed thoroughly exhausted, hair still wet from the shower and clinging to his forehead. He jostled slightly when the man landed next to him. Feeling those intense blue eyes on him once again Will rolled over to his side. There was something about the way Blue Eyes looked at Will that drove him crazy.

Will smiled bashfully, cheeks flushed when he asked, "What?"

Blue Eyes just shook his head looking almost confused, "It just amazes me that you can still look that sweet and innocent when I just split you open on my cock."

Will immediately ducked his head into the man's neck, face moving from flushed to bright red. The man laughed, pulling Will to his side. Snuggling against him Will glanced at those bright blue eyes again almost reveling in the admiration he saw. The man leaned down for a heated kiss. As the man's hands slid between Will's cheeks Will pulled back quickly.

"Nope, I don't think so. My ass can only take so much in one night," Will told the man while clambering off the bed in search of his boxers. He wasn't exactly paying attention when Blue Eyes practically ripped his clothes off of him.

"I beg to differ. I bet your ass can take much, much more," Blue Eyes said, pointedly looking at Will's pert bottom. Arms stretched behind his head and completely unconcerned over his own nudity, the man smirked.

After locating his haphazardly thrown clothes Will slipped them on while laughing at his mysterious blue eyed lover. He had never been around someone so blunt before. Will was enjoying the honesty. But, the walk from the bar to the hotel room was short and the two spent more time pawing at one another than talking. All Will could focus on was getting to the room before his clothes were pulled off of him.

Completely dressed again Will stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. '_What does one tell their one night stand as they're leaving?_' Will wasn't waiting alone very long when the larger man stood up and strutted over to Will. He grabbed Will's chin bringing their lips together again. Will wrapped his arms around his neck, almost standing on his tip toes before pulling back.

"You're trying to distract me," Will panted with a smile. He was very tempted to stay, climb back into bed and forget everything until morning. But he could only leave his mother in charge of Arianna for so long before some disaster or other would strike. Plus he couldn't miss his little girl waking up in the morning and wondering where he was.

Blue Eyes shrugged, attempting to look innocent, "Like I was going to let you leave without a goodbye kiss."

Smiling brightly, Will pressed himself against the man and whispered against his lips hotly, "Goodbye". Pulling away quickly Will laughed loudly at the affronted look on the man's face. Will slowly backed away towards the door unable to keep a goofy smile off his face. Hoping to keep himself in check before he started acting like a dweeb.

When Will's hand touched the door knob the man spoke softly. It was the first time Will heard him as anything other than confident, eyes looking around the room, tone gentle "How long are you staying in Hollywood?"

"I'm not sure really. Why do you want to know?" Will asked his head tilted to the side in confusion. _'I'm not really sure on the proper protocol of a one night stand but I'm pretty sure you aren't supposed to keep tabs on the other. Maybe he's just checking to make sure we don't run into each other again.'_

The man guffawed loudly, looking exasperated, as if Will was being dense on purpose, "I already told you, I know your ass can take much more than the three rounds tonight. And I plan on being the one to find out."

Will's eyes widened while his mouth opened and closed like a fish. Finally, cheeks hurting from holding back a grin,"Tomorrow," he whispered, "I'll be at the bar at 9. Don't be late."

Opening the door and looking over his shoulder one last time at the naked man before him, "I'm Will, by the way, in case you were wondering."

Blue eyes meeting blue eyes, the stranger told Will in his deep voice, just before Will walked out the door, "Nice to meet you Will, I'm Alex".

* * *

Alex relaxed on the couch, excited to finally unwind after a long shoot. His signature smirk eased into a small smile when he felt the familiar weight of his boyfriend pressed against him. '_Boyfriend_,' he thought uncharacteristically shy, '_Never thought I'd ever be here._'

Nuzzling his nose into Will's blond locks and inhaling deeply Alex decided he liked the way things turned out.

Alex met Will at a bar in Hollywood his first night in town. With the bright lights dancing off his hair Alex was instantly drawn towards Will. He observed the blondes shoulders rounding and lengthening as Will seemed to gather himself. Before Alex knew what was happening he was sauntering in Will's direction. Even he couldn't have predicted what would happen next.

Alex has always been attracted to all genders; he just never felt the need to announce it to the world, or his family. If he was serious about someone he would let his family know but generally speaking he got bored. If he was being completely honest with himself Alex only dated those that he knew his parents would not approve. Even Alex could admit the girl with the tattoos was a bit extreme but he did have fun tracing each and every one with his tongue. But at 29 Alex could admit he never quite grew out of his rebellious stage. He especially loved setting off his oh so beloved Mommy.

For a long time growing up Alex could never quite figure out why Adrienne treated him differently than her other sons. It was only when he discovered his true parentage that her behavior made sense. Alex supposed raising a child born from your husband's affair as your own could be difficult. _'Nothing like a living, breathing reminder that your husband was once unfaithful sitting across the dinner table.'_ Alex still felt slightly bereft though. Joey and Victor were never stared at whenever Adrienne thought they couldn't see. Each and every decision Sonny made wasn't criticized and judged. _'No precious Sonny could never do anything wrong in Mommy's eyes'_. Alex often wondered if Adrienne even knew what she was doing to him. Noticed that her smiles were never as wide, her hugs never as tight with Alex versus her other children.

Which is what led Alex to Hollywood in the first place, sick of hearing about the success of his younger brothers Alex sought to find his own way. Alex's lifelong photography hobby might finally have a chance to develop in Tinseltown instead of Dubai. Of course even if his art did become a success it's not like his family would appreciate it anyway. Somehow Alex couldn't imagine his mother proudly telling her friends her eldest son took nude photos for a living. Uncle Vic would never hang a close up photo of his favorite model's dick in the family mansion.

In spite of his family woes, Will was Alex's first boyfriend. They might have started as nameless strangers during a one night stand but now Alex can't imagine being with anyone else. Not even the rounded breasts on his model today stirred anything in him. All Alex could focus on was the way Will's face turned pink when he slapped him on the butt on his way out the door. Usually by this time Alex would have found someone more interesting but he just can't seem to let Will go.

At first Alex was a bit apprehensive about his feelings for Will. After their first night together Alex couldn't stop thinking about the boy who looked so bashful even while rocking shamelessly on Alex's cock. He went back to the bar again the next night to see him. And the next night and the night after that. Soon they were meeting up before nighttime for dinner or lunch. Some nights they did nothing but walk around town, sightseeing with their arms locked together; Alex's hands itching for his camera to capture the way Will looked in the downtown lights.

After three solid months Alex realized they were already practically dating, might as well make it official. Which was when Will dropped a bombshell on him-Will had a daughter. Alex was tempted to run the other direction but figured he owed it to himself to at least meet the kid.

It hasn't exactly been smooth sailing with Arianna Grace but Alex is trying. Kids have always freaked him out and he thinks the feeling is mutual. The first time they met Arianna refused to acknowledge him and almost clawed his eyes out when he kissed Will. Of course, he probably shouldn't have tried to do that while she was sitting in Will's lap. But the kid was slowly warming up to him. Now she calls him Al, instead of 'that boy'. She even let him sit next to her on the couch to watch Peppa Pig the one and only time he babysat her. But after realizing they would need to get along for Will's sake the two came to an understanding, or as much of one as a 29 year old and a 3 year old can have. The trip Alex took Arianna and Will on to Disneyland also sealed the deal. It is almost affectionate now when she calls him Al with a deceptively innocent smile on her face. He even swears that she smirks just a bit like him when he accidentally-on-purpose forgets her name and calls her Anna.

However, Alex never imagined himself with a boyfriend he had genuine feelings for, let alone one with a kid. But here he was, actually happy in his career and personal life for quite possibly the first time.

Unfortunately, Alex is afraid that feeling won't last. _'At least not until I tell Will the truth,_' Alex thought, arms pulling Will closer to his chest.

Just last week Alex finally got up the nerve to call his parents. The last time they talked was to tell him Sonny was getting divorced. Adrienne was upset Alex wasn't more concerned for her precious baby but Alex figured if Sonny was dumb enough to live in Salem he risked infidelity. Of course what should have been Alex's moment to reveal he might have found his place in the world once again became the Sonny show. Alex really couldn't give a shit about Sonny's old new boyfriend and a missing ex or whatever he was hearing. _"And where the hell is my father?"_

It wasn't until Adrienne lamented out loud that Alex paid any attention, "I wish I knew where Will and Ari were now. Or at least if they're safe".

Alex almost dropped the phone in shock. '_There's no way. It has to be a coincidence_,' Alex thought, horrified. '_But there is no such thing as a coincidence when it came to Salem_,' Alex realized miserably.

He knew Will was recently divorced and from Illinois. He also knew Sonny's husband was named William and had a daughter. Of course it was only then did Alex realize neither Will nor himself ever mentioned their last name. It never came up and seemed almost pointless to ask. He knew Will was shy yet seductive, interesting, intelligent and a great father. Nothing else ever mattered to Alex. '_Oh god, that means his mom is Sami Brady. But all those times I met her she seemed so normal'_, Alex pondered. Were all the things he heard about the residents of Salem true or just gross exaggerations? '_Although that would explain why she said if I hurt Will she could kill me and make it look like an accident._'

After getting Adrienne off the phone quickly Alex dropped his head in his hands. How was he ever going to tell this to Will?

* * *

With Will quietly telling him about the interesting article he was writing this week and how proud he was that Ari knows all her shapes Alex concluded he didn't want Will to go. He's never felt so connected to another person before, physically and emotionally. '_Hell, even the kid is growing on me_'. Realizing he couldn't jeopardize his relationship any longer, Alex steeled himself to tell Will the truth. But how?

'_Hey Will, remember how you left your hometown to escape all the drama and bad influences in your life? Well guess who my brother is?'_

'_Let's reveal our last names on the count of three…'_

'_At least I'm not a long lost Dimera?_'

"You look like you're having a silent battle with yourself there, need a third party to moderate," Will asked with a sweet smile. Alex was immediately taken back to when they met, chuckling at their role reversal.

Alex took a deep breath and forced out, "I found out something and I'm not sure how you're going to take it"

Will's eyebrows scrunched together cutely, "If this is about the condom thing I'll understand if we still have to use them."

Alex frowned and blinked rapidly, "I do not have an STI…and fuck you for thinking that" he told Will laughing, stuck between indignation and pride for Will's zinger. '_He's coming along nicely_'

Alex's favorite shade of pink touched Will's cheeks before he shrugged and said, "If the shoe fits Mr. Nude Photographer."

"I do not sleep with my models thank you. I'm very professional," Alex proclaimed, chin tilting upwards.

"Right? Then what do you call last weekend? Because you could barely put the camera down fast enough before you were inside me," Will said looking unimpressed.

Alex scoffed, "That doesn't count. I've never photographed an ass like yours. No one could resist looking at it naked for almost an hour and not want to be balls deep."

Alex shook his head to clear it while Will hid his face in Alex's neck, blushing yet looking pleased. "Besides, this isn't about sex. Well I guess it kind of is but not really. It's just I'm kind of terrified I'm going to lose you once you know."

Will pulled himself upright to look in Alex's eyes. Alex exhaled slowly. He knew everyone always told him his blue eyes were memorable but god did he love Will's. Will's were like the turquoise water of the Caribbean, it reminded Alex of sand between his toes and the sun warming his skin. Seeing the patient yet worried look on Will's face made Alex confess.

"I talked to my mom last week and I don't think we're exactly strangers, Will," Alex rushed out, hoping he might not have to spell it out exactly.

"What do you mean?" Will asked gently.

Sighing deeply, treating it like a band-aid, one fast rip so it hurts less, "I mean that my name is Alexander, Alexander Kiriakis."

"Oh," Will whispered, face paling.

* * *

Will should have known that the minute he felt his life was finally making sense it would blow up in his face. When he spent the night with Alex the first time he never predicted they would date. He thought he was just the handsome stranger Will took to bed. But life never works out the way Will Horton expects.

The decision to leave Salem was almost easy. He had been divorced for nearly two months. He hadn't even seen **Him** for three months. While that might have been easier for Will, Arianna was suffering. She missed** Him **terribly but **He** had not made any efforts to see her. Will wondered if his old fears were actually true-maybe **He** never wanted Will's daughter at all.

On top of being divorced and Ari missing **Him**, Will was terribly lonely. He had always had trouble keeping friends. As a child parents never let their kids associate with the son of Sami Brady. '_There's nothing like walking through the park to see all your classmates at a birthday party you weren't invited to for a kid realize how unwanted he was_.' The older Will got the harder it became. As the events of the past year and a half showed it wasn't getting any easier. With the end of his marriage came the end of almost all his friendships. '_Maybe they were never actually my friends at all_,' Will thought. _'Maybe if they were they would have tried to help me see what I was doing._' His father was still in town but involved with his own secrets and lies and Will had no interest in being involved with **That** family again.

Even the one person Will always thought would be there for him had abandoned him. Grandma Marlena had her own relationship woes to attend to and Will couldn't bear to look at her after he caught her having lunch with **Them.** '_Then again maybe her new step-son ranks higher than I do now. It wouldn't be the first time now would it?'_ Will thought bitterly.

With no friends and no family Will saw no point in sticking in Salem. The only place Will could think to go was his mom's. The past few months Will had come to appreciate his mom and all she had been through. He spent so long resenting her when she only ever tried to do her best. She definitely made mistakes and was almost always in the wrong but she never had any friends either to help her. No one to guide her back. Instead she received judgments and disapproval instead of help. No one ever gave her the benefit of the doubt and Will knew exactly how that felt. She too had her friends and family turn on her whenever she did something wrong. No one knew disappointment and heartache like Sami Brady Walker Roberts Dimera Hernandez Dimera.

Will also knew his mom had been so much happier away from Salem. She left everyone who ever hurt her and who she hurt behind. Will knew he needed to do the same. Salem only ever brought out the worst in people, himself included. He owed it to Ari to get her out of Salem while he still could. Will knew he would only ever hurt and alienate his daughter just like what happened to him. The harder Will tries to make the right choices the more like his mother he becomes. Only now, while living with her in Hollywood, he's beginning to realize that might not be such a bad thing.

So, with his mind made up Will went to visit Gabi, the only person he knew would understand. Despite how hard it would be to not see her daughter Gabi knew Will was right; Salem was no place for their little girl to grow up. With Gabi's blessing, Will settled everything he needed to, rented a truck, packed up his daughter's home and left.

Meeting Alex was never part of Will's plan. However, Sami convinced Will to go out one night. He was only 22 after all; he didn't need to spend all his time with a 3 year old. So, with Ari snuggled up tight in bed and his mom on babysitting duty Will took a cab to the swanky bar near where he worked. Going home with a stranger never crossed his mind but Will was tired of being his old self. The Old Will only screwed things up and hurt people. He didn't believe in himself and in turn couldn't believe in others. The New Will was self-assured and went home with handsome strangers.

Alex was nothing he ever encountered before. Alex was like the glow of the moon on a cloudy night. He didn't command attention but shone brightly regardless of anything blocking his way. He made Will laugh in a way he wasn't accustomed to, almost ripping the sound out of him. Will didn't want to like someone so borderline cocky, that made Will blush like it was his job. He wanted to find Alex annoying and a waste of his time but he just couldn't. Whatever the reason Will found his time spent between Ari, writing and Alex.

When Will introduced Ari and Alex he was almost afraid. At first it seemed the two hated each other but Will realized they were just uncomfortable. Ari had never had to be presented to anyone interested in dating Will. Alex was so clearly out of his element with a young child but he tried for Will's sake. Will knew he could never be serious with someone who Ari didn't approve of but Will really liked Alex. So, to see the two of them trying to get along warmed Will's heart. Even hearing Ari and Alex call each other the wrong name made him happier than he ever thought he would be again.

But what Will appreciates the most about Alex is the way he makes Will feel. With Alex Will never once felt insecure. When Alex looks at him Will feels completely sure of himself. Maybe it's because Alex doesn't know Will's past or because there is no one whispering in both their ears that Will isn't good enough. But mostly Will thinks it is Alex. The way he looks at Will makes him feel like the only person in the room. The way Alex touches and kisses Will makes him feel like he's exactly where he should be. He's never once doubted himself or Alex since they've been together.

On top of all that Will has never had someone act so possessively. Alex glares at everyone who looks at Will. He keeps his arm wrapped firmly around Will's waist or hand in his back pocket. Even the way he fucks Will makes him feel completely owned. The hoarse way he calls Will his as he slams into him leaves Will filled physically and emotionally. Will would never admit it to Alex, at least not this early, but Will's never felt like he's wanted unless someone was fighting over him. As a child he only knew his parents loved him when they were arguing over him. He was often alone or shuffled from home to home but he always knew he was cared for if Mom and Dad were battling it out. Ashamed of feeling this way Will did all he could to repress the feeling. Sure, the fights made him feel like a bargaining chip and not a person but it was hard to erase the memories of his childhood.

When Will was with **Him** he never truly felt like he was wanted. Will always felt like **He** could do better than Will and like **He** knew it too, like everyone knew it. _'Feeling like a placeholder can take its toll on a person.'_ Not to mention the other guys that **He** let hang around knowing it would upset Will. **He** always made Will feel like he was horrible because he was insecure and scared. Yet, **He** never once tried to make it better for Will, only saying that Will should trust **Him**. But how could Will trust **Him** when he's never once seen a relationship last? How could Will trust **Him** when Will couldn't trust himself? '_And I was right in the end. I was **His** second choice,_' Will mused for the first time with little emotion.

Even knowing what Alex does for a living doesn't make him insecure. Alex looks at his models bodies as art and Will agrees. Alex's photos still make Will blush but he can see the artist behind the lens in each one. Not to mention the few times he's gone to a shoot Will's never seen Alex look at the model the way he looks at Will. Will thought he would be an anxious mess knowing his boyfriend is staring at a naked model all day but Will just isn't. Alex always does his best to reassure Will before and after a shoot. Whenever Will begins to feel the all too familiar suffocation of insecurity Alex always seems to know. Knows when Will needs a compliment whispered against his skin. Knows when Will needs a vulgar comment grunted into his ear while being taken. Alex does everything he can to tell Will how desired he truly is.

With Alex, however, Will's never felt so connected with himself. When Alex calls him beautiful he believes him and can even see within himself what Alex means. He doesn't doubt Alex's commitment. Will also doesn't doubt himself. He's never been prouder of his writing or his parenting skills. Perhaps it was taking the courage to leave Salem behind for good that changed Will's mindset. With no preconceived ideas about him or his family Will was able to take a new outlook on life and relationships. He knows one day he'll need to explain his past in detail but wants to hold on the sense of security Alex gives him unconditionally.

But for all his efforts to remove the drama of Salem from his life Will found himself here: Confident, happy and healthy for the first time in a long time. Now, Alex's told him this. The man that he's been drawn to, the man who helped Will feel more self-assured than ever, the man that he's been falling for is connected to Salem too. Not just connected but related to **Him**. He's the oldest brother of the man he divorced. The oldest child of his former in-laws; the in-law who always disliked him, who might be having an affair with Will's father. Will doesn't even know what to do now.

All he can think about is how history is going to repeat itself. Soon Alex will know all about Will's family and past. Alex will be poisoned against Will. The look Alex gets in his deep blue eyes just for Will soon will disappear. The judgement will begin and justifications demanded. Alex will know Will is a failure at everything he has ever tried. That he's never known how to be happy. That he was a horrible husband and was turning into his mother. The satisfaction Will finds in himself and his relationship will go away. It will be as if he never left Salem. The loneliness is already creeping back into Will's chest, clawing and ripping at him from the inside.

But Will has not been abandoned yet. Alex is still here. He was afraid Will would be the one to leave. No one has ever been afraid of that. With Alex beside him Will is still confident and successful. He won't let himself be sucked back into the chaos of Salem. He does not want Alex to leave.

* * *

Will desperately grabbed Alex's hand, squeezing it harder than strictly necessary. Looking him right in the eyes, "I don't care what your name is or where you're from. I already know who you are. Can you still say the same for me?"

Alex's face split open in a grin, not his typical smirk but a blinding white grin, "Nothing anyone can say could turn me away from you now."

* * *

Author's note:

I got inspired for this oneshot as my mom and I were reminiscing about the good old days of DOOL storylines and the old NBC soap Passions. I said the only thing that would make the current Will storyline more soap opera-like would be if Will accidentally fell in love with another Kiriakis. And thus this story was born.

I've only ever seen Alex portrayed as either the super supportive older brother, the protective older brother or the homophobic older brother in fics before so I thought I'd try a new direction. Also, Alex's birth mom was last played by Judith Chapman who has big blue eyes so I ran with it. His character is inspired by clips from his parents in the '80s'. I encourage others to scour youtube for clips of Anjelica, Justin and Adrienne for a laugh. Nothing like Anjelica telling her husband she's pregnant with Justin's baby by telling him "there is a sterile cuckoo in your clock sir."

This is my first time seriously writing fic so any reviews would be appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

_Several Months Later_

"I'm going to die if I don't have it right now," Will Horton groaned, sweat beading along his forehead. Pupils blown wide and mouth open, Will could have cried.

Alex Kiriakis smirked feeling extremely satisfied with himself. "Aw, poor baby," Alex cooed before slowly licking his way inside Will's ass, again. They still had hours before they had to pick the kid up from preschool, _'Plenty of time for this_,' Alex thought, tongue swirling against Will's slick opening.

Will canted his hips pressing closer to Alex's tongue. His wrists were shaking from holding himself up for so long. "Please Alex please," Will begged, "I need it so bad."

"Shh," Alex whispered, "Just a little while longer pet." Alex wrapped his mouth around Will's opening and sucked causing Will to scream.

Will's wrists could no longer hold him up causing Will to collapse on his chest, ass straight up in the air.

Chuckling Alex reached his hand along the bed for the lube he set out earlier. Slapping one hand on Will's round ass Alex smiled at the way it jiggled and bounced. '_Fuck, I can't believe I get this any time I want_.'

Hearing the snick of the lid Will sobbed in relief, "Oh god, Alex, hurry." Will had been waiting so, so long for this. He hadn't had Alex's cock in almost days. "If I don't have you inside of me I'm going to die."

"I know pet," Alex consoled, hand rubbing the red mark he left on Will's cheek. Pouring an ample supply of lube in his palms and rubbing them together Alex rubbed one hand along Will's balls teasingly and wiped the other hand up and down Will's crack. Slipping his middle finger inside of Will slickly Alex grinned at the sound Will emitted. "Like that?"

"It would be better if it was your cock," Will laughed unable to stop his hips from grinding back against the thick finger inside of him. "Hurry up."

Rolling his eyes, groaning at Will's tight heat, Alex added a second finger without warning. "Better?"

"Almost," Will panted, fucking himself on Alex's fingers. '_His perfect, perfect fingers.' _

Crooking his fingers quickly, hearing the predictable squeal from Will, Alex said sarcastically, "You were saying?"

"I take it back," Will answered, biting the sheets between his teeth, muffling his voice, "I don't need your cock. I just need this. Just this."

"Ah, ah, ah," Alex said frowning, yanking his fingers out of Will roughly, "That doesn't sound like someone who wants their ass fucked."

"No, no, no, put it back," Will sat up quickly, eyes panicked, "Please Alex. I was just teasing. You know how much I need your cock. How much I love it."

"I don't know," Alex mused, looking up and down Will's gloriously naked body. '_Fuck I'll never complain about how long he spends at the gym again_.' "I think you're going to have to apologize properly."

Smiling brightly Will shoved Alex onto his back with a laugh before he wrapped his hand around his cock, holding it upwards and slurped it into his mouth. Tongue licking up all the precome he had leaked Will looked up at Alex with sultry eyes. Will knew just how much Alex loved when Will was wanton and demanding. Averting his eyes Will slid down Alex's cock until just the head was in his throat.

"Fuck," Alex praised, hands in Will's hair, "Mmm, love when you suck my cock. Fuck, you take me so well. Never had anyone take as much of me as you do." Alex tried to keep his eyes open, not wanting to miss a second of his thick cock gliding between those perfect, pink lips.

Will took just a bit more of Alex's cock, eyes watering. '_But it's worth it_.' Will loved hearing how better he was than anyone else Alex slept with, _'Especially when he's fucked so many people._' Will wasn't exactly jealous knowing Alex had so many partners because Alex never once made him feel insecure or worried. But it certainly elevated Will's ego to know that he was the best Alex had ever had. '_That he's ever going to have,_' Will vowed. Pulling off with a loud pop, voice husky, Will stated, "I want to ride you now."

"Yes, fuck yes," Alex agreed. Reaching for the lube once again and slathering Will's hole. He knew Will could handle it a little bit dry but Alex wasn't in the mood for rough and punishing. He typically saved that for when he was feeling possessive. '_Like the night at Sami's Christmas party and her boss spent the whole night eye fucking Will_.' As Alex slipped two fingers inside of Will, just to make sure, Alex closed his eyes and remembered how fantastic that night was. He shoved Will into the kitchen, not caring that anyone could walk inside, and fucked him over the kitchen table. '_But tonight I want him slick_.'

Will, straddling Alex's lap, groaned, "Fuck, I'm ready. I am so fucking ready." Reaching behind him for Alex's cock Will guided it to his hole and oh so slowly slid down until he could feel Alex's all the way inside of him. Shuddering Will fell forward, hands on either side of Alex's head, "Oh god. Never going that long again."

"Never," Alex agreed, reaching his hands up and yanking Will into a wet, deep kiss. Feeling Will's perfect tight ass clenching around his cock Alex kissed Will dirtily all tongues and teeth.

Will, finally feeling full and content, pushed his knees into the bed before he lifted himself up slowly and sank back down. "Alex," Will praised against his mouth, "Alex, so good."

Sliding his hands down to Will's ass, gripping it tightly, Alex pulled his cheeks apart before touching where they were connected. Pulling away from Will's mouth Alex begged, "Please, please let me."

Will, wanting it, needing it, nodded, "Yes. Fuck, stretch me open."

Sitting up slightly Alex groped along the bed for the lube, drizzling more along Will's hole before twisting his finger alongside his cock. Groaning, loving the wet, tight heat of fucking Will bare Alex almost cried himself when he felt his finger brushing against his cock. "Oh god, Will," Alex moaned lifting his hips, meeting Will's thrusts. "Oh fuck. One of these days I want to do it."

"Mmm," Will nodded almost lost in his own lust, circling his hips, wanting to feel all of Alex. "When we do what I want we'll do what you want."

"No," Alex whined, fucking into Will rapidly in punishment. "I won't let anyone else touch you. That's never happening."

"But Alex," Will teased, "I thought you wanted to watch me get stuffed completely full."

"With a fucking toy," Alex grunted glaring at Will's pink cheeks and bright blue eyes. "No one else is ever, ever going to be inside of you again. You're mine. All mine. Understand?"

"I don't know," Will breathed against his lips, "Why don't you show me you're all the cock I'm ever going to need?"

Growling Alex rolled Will onto his hands and knees slamming into Will quickly, roughly. "I'm the only one that gets this." He slapped a hand on Will's ass harshly. "Me, only me." Fucking into Will rapidly, Will making whimpering noises, Alex promised, "This is my ass and my hole and my body. Only me." Sneaking his hand down to Will's cock Alex stroked him, hand still slicked to perfection, knowing exactly what Will wanted to hear. "I love you. You're all mine and I'm all yours. I'm the only one that gets to touch you or kiss you or love you. You don't need any other cock but mine. Just this cock and this bed and my body."

Will, breath knocked out of him, begged Alex, "Please, Alex, please."

"You want me to come inside of you," Alex gruffly whispered into Will's ear. "Want me to paint your insides and mark you as mine? Want me to lick you clean or plug you up tonight pet?"

Will, screaming out his release thrust into Alex's tight grip and wonderful cock. Rambling out praises, tears lining his eyes Will shouted, "Yes, fuck yes. Only need your cock Alex. Only need you. Just you. Want your come. Want it so bad. Want to feel it sloshing around inside of me at dinner. Want you to know it's there. Want to get back into bed tonight and have it drip out of me back on your cock."

Alex, roaring, hips grinding, felt himself spurting into Will's ass. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." Pushing into Will weakly until he was spent Alex collapsed onto Will's back unconcerned that he was crushing him. He knew Will liked being surrounded after sex. Kissing along Will's neck and face Alex breathed into Will's ear, "Fuck, I love you. Jesus Christ Will."

"I love you too," Will moaned blissfully enjoying the heat and gentle pressure of Alex's body on top of him.

"Where's your plug," Alex questioned nuzzling into Will's neck, sucking slightly. He wished he could mark Will everywhere but Will had gotten scolded for it at work once. Alex wasn't about to get Will into trouble. _'I'll just mark him on the inside instead.' _

"Like you don't know," Will smiled face heating up as it always did when they were done.

"And there's that blush I love," Alex smiled smugly as he gently pulled out. "Make sure you don't lose any," Alex ordered with a light smack smiling when he saw Will clenching his hole.

Locating the box full of Alex's favorite toys Alex pulled out their well-used plug, slicking it up and pushing it into Will smiling when he saw the little hook on the end of it. Will didn't care for the fancy decorations but since Alex was the one who got to see it so Will went along with it. '_Plus it turned out fantastic in those private pictures we took last week,_' Alex thought grinning.

Will, snuggling into the pillows, laughed lightly, "Quit admiring my ass and get over here."

"I can't help it," Alex admitted with a roguish smile. "It looks so fucking pretty like that."

"Uh huh," Will rolled his eyes, shoving Alex onto the bed and kissing him.

Just as Alex was about to roll Will onto his back they heard the doorbell ring.

"Who the fuck is that," Alex complained, "We've still got hours."

"Who cares," Will stated sucking on Alex's bottom lip.

Hearing the bell again Alex, annoyed, dipped his tongue into Will's mouth determined to find the taste of his precome. With the bell continuing Alex threw his head back in frustration, "Oh for fuck's sake." Climbing over Will Alex yelled at Will, "Don't fucking move."

Completely nude Alex ripped the door opened and snarled out, "Someone better be dead!"

"Alex," Joey Kirakis said with a wide grin, "Wow. You greet everyone that comes to your door this way?"

Alex, crossing his arms, unconcerned with his nudity, "What the hell are you two doing here?"

"Is that anyway to talk to your baby brother's," Vic Kiriakis answered shoving Alex to the side and stepping inside. Looking around Vic nodded his head approvingly. "You know when you said you were buying a house I didn't actually think you were serious but this is pretty nice."

"Nice," Joey agreed with his twin, "And suspicious." Lifting up a Barbie doll by her long blonde hair Joey asked, "Something you've been hiding from us big brother?"

Snatching the doll from his brother and tossing it near the doorway to Ari's playroom, '_I thought I told her to put that shit away_?' Clearing his throat Alex shrugged, "I'm not hiding anything. Besides, it's not my kid."

"Then whose is it," Vic, imitating Alex and crossing his arms. "If you have a love child you can tell us you know. There's no need to be ashamed. I'm sure we've all done worse."

Eyebrow raised, ready to tell Vic and Joey the truth, Alex opened his mouth when he saw something half naked and gorgeous walking down the stairs.

"Alex," Will questioned, hobbling slightly, toy impeding his movements, tiny briefs barely covering his body, "What's taking so long?" Stopping at the landing, seeing Alex talking to two people, '_Identical people_,' Will looked at Alex expectantly.

Joey, tilting his head sideways, looking Will up and down laughed at Alex, "You know I always suspected but damn. At least you bagged yourself a hot one."

Vic, frowning slightly, looked at the blonde boys face, '_He looks so familiar_.' "Alex," Vic turned to his brother, "What's going on here?"

"Can I at least put on some pants first," Alex asked with a deceptively sweet smile on his face. Walking up the stairs to Will, turning him around and covering his body so his brothers couldn't see, Alex marched him up the stairs, "And this is my boyfriend."

Vic, feeling confused and like he was missing something, "Didn't he look familiar?"

"Uh, no," Joey said, looking at his brother oddly. "But then again I don't watch gay porn like you so I wouldn't recognize anyone's naked body."

"That was one time and it was to give to Sonny," Vic defended himself having had this argument for years. "I just think I know him from somewhere."

"Wait, you don't think he really is a porn star right," Joey asked in concern. "Because I don't think Alex would like that."

Ignoring his brother Vic wandered around the house taking in the open concept floorplan. _'It's nice_,' Vic decided, '_Not too big but not too small._' Walking over to where Alex threw the doll Vic peeked his head into the room surprised to see it was completely filled with girly toys. '_What the fuck_?' In the middle of the room was a big floor length mirror with princess dresses piled next to it. "Princess Arianna," Vic read out loud seeing the sign on the door. "Wait a minute," Vic said backing away and turning to see some pictures on the wall.

There was Alex with Joey, Vic and their father Justin. There was Alex with his boyfriend. There was a group of three small children and a beautiful blonde woman. And there was Alex's boyfriend with a young equally blonde daughter. '_Oh my god_,' Vic thought. '_She looks just like that picture I saw in Mom's new place. Oh my god_.' Mouth opened unattractively Vic turned to Alex and the blonde man following behind him on the stairs.

"Alright," Alex announced, "Joey, Vic this is my boyfriend-"

"Will," Vic said blankly, feeling confused, "Will Horton."

"Wait," Joey said looking over at Will, "You mean like?"

"Yeah," Alex nodded, face set, daring his brother's to say anything, "Sonny's Ex."

* * *

Will looked between the three brothers slowly. His arms were held calmly at his sides, his back straight. A year ago Will would have curled into himself trying to fend off any harsh looks or words thrown his way. A few months ago he might have stood partially behind Alex letting him protect him. '_But not now_.' Clearing his throat Will took a step forward and stuck out his hand, "I'm Will."

Joey, recovering first, shook Will's hand, "I'm Joey." Seeing Vic staring at Will uneasily Joey pointed at him, "That's Vic."

Lowering his hand when he realized Vic wasn't interested in shaking it Will said, "Nice to meet you." Lips quirking when he felt the familiar warmth of Alex's palm against his lower back Will said confidently, "I'm sure you must have a lot of questions."

Finding his voice Vic answered loudly, "You're damn right we do." Rounding on Alex, effectively blocking Will out of the conversation, Vic demanded, "Alex, what the fuck?"

Rolling his eyes, Alex lowered his hand to Will's back pocket, "What?"

"How are you, why did you, what the hell is this," Vic rushed out outraged. "How can you be with him after what he did?"

Instinctively knowing Alex would say something to make it worse Will stated, "After I slept with someone else while I was married to Sonny?" That was another thing that Will never would have done months ago. Now, he could easily and freely think and talk about Sonny Kiriakis without his throat seizing up.

"Yes," Vic shouted voice entirely too loud. "How can you be with this, this wh-"

Alex, eyes narrowed, cut off his brother, "Shut the fuck up. You don't get to come into our home and talk about him like that. You don't get to say anything to him, ever; if that's the shit you're going to be spewing. So either check your goddamn attitude or get out."

Putting his hand on Alex's chest Will huffed, "Can you cool it? I am perfectly capable of speaking for myself."

"Trust me; I know," Alex leered at Will, '_And god does it turn me on when you do_.'

Sighing good-naturedly at his boyfriend Will turned back to Vic and said severely, "Don't ever call me that again."

Vic, swallowing, surprised by the easy way Alex revolved around Will and the confidence Will exuded, "Right."

"I think what my idiotic brother was trying to say," Joey remarked, hoping to ease some of the tension in the room, "Is how did you two even meet each other?"

"I picked him up in a bar," Alex shrugged, "I decided one night wasn't going to be enough."

Blushing slightly Will smiled awkwardly, "We didn't know who the other was initially actually. That didn't happen until we got serious."

"And by then it was too late," Alex admitted, looking surprisingly tender, "He already sunk his claws in me."

"Oh please," Will rolled his eyes and tossed his head, "You were the one who was terrified I was going to leave you. In case you forgot."

"That never happened," Alex insisted smirking at Will. "You just couldn't get enough of me."

Vic, confused and slightly disturbed by the whole situation, "So let me get this straight," giving Alex a once over, "Or not so straight. You didn't find out how you were connected until after you got involved? And you didn't care at all who he was when you found out?"

"Why would I care," Alex shot Vic a sharp look. "I already knew Will. Nothing changed for me knowing his last name."

"Or what it used to be," Vic snorted nastily.

Raising one brow Will smiled pleasantly, "Actually I never changed my name when I was married. Made getting divorced easier." '_Jackass_,' Will thought to himself while he smiled.

"Are you just doing this to piss off Mom," Vic questioned, not having any idea what to make of this, "Because I know how you feel about that."

"No," Alex growled dangerously, "That woman has nothing to with my relationship, you asshole. I don't give a shit who Will was married to or who he fucked before he met me. The only thing you need to know is he's with me now. That's all that matters."

"It doesn't matter to you at all that he used to sleep with Sonny," Vic crossed his arms and asked bluntly, "That he was married to him. That he vowed to spend the rest of his life with only him. Well," Vic snorted, "We know how long he lasted with that one."

Seconds away from punching his brother Alex took a step forward but halted when Will grabbed his arm and held him back.

"I don't think you really want to be talking about vows and the sanctity of marriage to me," Will said lowly, "Because if I was as big of a douchebag as you I could go on and on about your baby brother. But I'm not. So I'm going to tell you either accept my relationship with Alex or don't. It's really none of my concern what you do. But until you figure it out get out." Will walked over to the front door and held it open. "Out."

Vic stormed towards the door, shoulder banging into Will's on the way out, teeth grinding together.

Joey smiled uncomfortably at Will, "Um, it was nice to meet you. Sorry about Vic."

"It was nice to see you too," Will told him rationally, "Maybe I'll see you again."

* * *

Alex frowned as he sat down across from his twin brothers at a diner near his house. He didn't want to come but Will convinced him.

"_They're your brothers," Will told Alex gently as he gathered Ari's backpack and lunch box, throwing stray toys near her playroom. "And they found out something major. Maybe Vic will be more receptive when I'm not there." _

"_He insulted you to your face," Alex seethed sitting on the couch with his shirt off, feet on the table, "I don't owe him anything anymore." _

_Yelling up for Ari to hurry up from the bottom of the staircase Will dropped Ari's things on the floor before he crawled onto Alex's lap. Biting his lip while cupping Alex's cheeks Will sighed, "Sonny's your brother too. They're just looking out for you both." _

_Face twisting, hating when Will talked about Sonny, Alex reached up and held Will's hands to his face. Looking into Will's bright blue eyes Alex nodded, "OK, fine. One more chance. But only because you asked me to." _

_Kissing Alex sweetly, groaning when he felt Alex's hands fall to his ass, Will nipped his lips gently. _

"_Ew, Daddy," Ari complained when she walked down the stairs, "Gross. You said no more kissing when I can see you." _

"_You said that kid. I don't remember agreeing to it," Alex informed her, pouting slightly when Will climbed off of him. Watching Ari put on her backpack and head towards the door Alex asked, "You remember your book this time?" _

"_Yes," Ari huffed, rolling her eyes, "Duh." _

"_Whatever," Alex crossed his arms. _

_Will shook his head at the two of them fondly. '_She's picking up way too many of his habits_,' Will shook his head. "I'll see you when I get home from work," Will bent over and kissed Alex again, chuckling when Alex made as much noise as possible to get Ari to shriek. "Go see your brothers!_"

Shaking himself out of the memory Alex gazed at his brothers' identical faces.

Joey smiled at Alex trying to ignore Vic's stony silence beside him, "So, Alex. I take it you like living in California?"

Unthawing slightly Alex shrugged, "Yeah, it's got its perks. Weather's nice and there's always stuff to do."

Vic, biting his tongue so he wouldn't make a remark, closed his eyes tightly and instead asked, "And how's the photography going?"

"Good," Alex answered him truthfully. "A few of my photos are in a couple galleries in downtown Los Angeles. And I might get my recent collection published in a book."

"Really," Joey asked with a grin, "That's awesome! I'm not surprised naked bodies are so popular here." Giving Alex a playful look Joey wondered, "Any models in particular you might like?"

"The only one I'm interested in is the one whose photos he won't let me show," Alex raised his eyebrow challengingly.

"Will doesn't want anyone to see them," Vic asked gently a bit surprised. '_I would have thought he'd want everyone to see him that way.' _

"No," Alex stated resolutely. "He doesn't. It took months for me to convince him to let me take any. It's a damn shame since I think they're my best work but oh well."

"That's actually kind of sweet," Joey responded after thinking about it.

"Ok, can we just be real right now," Vic questioned completely honest. "Explain the Will thing to me."

"I already told you," Alex said blankly.

"No," Vic shook his head, "Tell me everything. I want to understand how you can be with him."

Remembering what Will said Alex sighed loudly, "I saw him at a bar the first night I got in town. He was sitting there all alone and the lights were glinting off his hair and I don't know. I just knew I had to go over there before someone else did."

"And then what," Joey asked curiously.

"He told me he was working up the courage to dance," Alex said softly, remembering that night. "So I made him dance with me. And I took him to my hotel."

Holding in his snort this time Vic urged Alex to continue, "And?"

"And one night wasn't enough for me OK," Alex rolled his eyes. "I couldn't let him go. I spent the next few months getting to know him and the kid and then I found out about the Sonny thing."

"Wait, you found out first," Vic blurted out having assumed it was Will.

"I called looking for Dad and got stuck on the phone with Adrienne," Alex continued, "She said something about Will and Ari and I figured it out. I didn't want to lose him so we talked about it."

"And you decided that you didn't care at all what he did to your baby brother," Vic asked bluntly still disbelieving.

"You know what," Alex told Vic directly, "I know every single thing about Will Horton. Everything. From the minute he was born to what he's doing right this second. I know every thought he's ever had, every insecurity. I know every fucking detail about his marriage. So yeah I decided I didn't care about what happened with Sonny and Will because Will is with me now." Taking a large gulp of his water Alex added, "And if Sonny was so damn hurt by what happened he wouldn't have jumped into a relationship with the guy Will cheated on him with. So really I don't think he has any say in my relationship."

"You really like him," Vic asked meekly.

"I bought a house with him," Alex replied, "I help his daughter with her homework. I am in love with him. I don't hold what he did in the past against him just like he doesn't hold how our family treated him against me."

"OK," Vic nodded. "OK."

"Good," Alex smirked across the table, "Now why the hell did you come to see me in the first place?"

Joey laughed, rubbing his eyes, "You aren't going to believe this actually."

"What is it," Alex asked quickly, already getting a bad feeling.

"Mom and Dad are getting divorced," Vic announced, "Because Mom is engaged to someone else."

"What the hell are you talking about," Alex demanded, "I thought they were just separated?"

"Well what do you think happens during separations," Joey rolled his eyes. "Anyway that's not the part you aren't going to believe." Giving Alex a pained smiled Joey explained, "Mom is marrying Lucas Horton. Will's Dad."

* * *

Will unlocked the door to the house, laptop bag over his shoulder, holding onto a reusable coffee cup. "Hello," he called as he walked inside, a little alarmed he didn't hear Ari playing.

"Hey," Alex responded from the couch where he was slumped in the corner out of sight.

"Oh, hey," Will smiled brightly, putting all his things down on their dining room table. "I didn't see you there." Sitting on the couch Will kissed his cheek warmly. "Where's Ari?"

"She's playing in the backyard with my brothers," Alex told him blankly.

Frowning Will put his hand on Alex's neck, "What's wrong? What happened today?"

Lowering his head into Will's lap, finding it soothing when Will would run his fingers through his hair, Alex confessed, "I got my brothers to understand about us. They both promised to be on their best behavior and give you a chance." Alex closed his eyes, "They really love Ari."

"Well of course they do," Will smiled, fingers combing Alex's light brown hair, "But that's not what upset you, is it?"

"No," Alex clutched onto Will's thigh, "They came here to see me because they had some news they thought I wouldn't take very well."

"Well they must have been right," Will commented lightly, "What was it?"

"Actually," Alex laughed sadly, "I'm not upset for me. I'm upset for you. I don't know how you're going to respond."

"Me," Will's eyebrows scrunched together, "What news would they tell you in person that would affect me?" _'Unless it's about Sonny_…'

"It's your dad," Alex rushed out, sitting up and looking at Will's open, trusting face, "And my mom."

"Oh," Will whispered pondering what his boyfriend could mean. "Oh, oh. Oh my god."

"Yeah," Alex gave Will a half smile, "How do you feel about having some step-brothers?"

* * *

Vic, Joey and Alex watched Will from the window inside the house. The early morning light was cascading through the trees and reflecting off Will's hair. His eyes were closed and his skin dripping in sweat. Lifting his hands above his head and stretching Will focused on his relaxation.

"He does that every morning," Joey asked holding a mug of coffee in his hand.

"Yeah," Alex sighed. He didn't want to admit to his brothers that he was worried about Will. He had put on a brave face the evening before interacting with Vic and Joey easily enough but Alex hadn't had a chance to really talk about what was happening. About the potential of seeing Sonny again. "Usually I try to fuck him after but since you're here I better not."

Vic wrinkled his nose. His eyes were drawn to the beads of sweat slipping down into Will's tank top. Vic still wasn't certain what to make of Will. He recalled the private conversation they had the night before.

"_And this is the bathroom," Will told Vic with a shy smile. "We redid that first when we bought the house." _

"_Thanks for showing me," Vic answered grudgingly. He stood outside the bathroom on the second floor awkwardly. He had no idea what to say to Will or how to talk to him. How was he supposed to interact with the boy his father and uncle hated? _

"_You're welcome," Will shrugged. Licking his lips Will cleared his throat, "OK, I know you don't like me and that's fine. I can live with that but Alex won't. You and I both know how he is. So for his sake we need to find some way to get along." _

"_Will," Vic tried to say feeling something unpleasant building in his stomach. _

"_No," Will stood up straight and looked into Vic's eyes. "I don't need you to be my friend. Hell, I don't even need you to be my step-brother. What I do need is for you to make an effort. I love Alex and we aren't breaking up. So you need to decide what you want to do." _

_Vic stood and watched Will's back as he walked down the hall, grabbing a laundry basket out of Ari's room before heading to the stairs. _

Seeing Will stand up from his yoga mat and rolling his shoulders Vic turned away from the window.

"Hey," Will said slightly breathless as he walked in and noticed Joey and Vic. "When did you get here?"

"Just a few minutes ago," Joey answered brightly. "We're drinking all your coffee."

Will smiled, "That's OK. I'm gonna jump in the shower real quick." Walking over to Alex and kissing him lightly Will trailed his fingers down his arm as he headed for the stairs.

Alex, eyes following Will, startled when Joey slapped him harshly on the back.

"I saw that," Joey teased. "You can go one day without a morning quickie."

"Trust me," Alex leered, "They're never quick."

* * *

"So," Vic couldn't help to ask as they all sat down around the table waiting for Will. "Where's Ari?"

"She's at her grandma's," Alex said easily. "She spends every Friday night there. Saturday's we get the kid and Will's siblings. Sunday we take them back and have dinner together."

"Wait, you spend your Saturday's with kids," Joey snorted while shaking his head. "And you willingly spend time with his mom?"

Alex shrugged, "It's not so bad. They all pass out by 10 and I spend the rest of the night with Will. Besides Sami's cool."

Vic stared at his older brother with a strange look on his face. He never could have Alex spending time with kids or settling down with someone or having family time. Hearing Will walk back down the stairs Vic kept his eyes focused on Alex's face observing how his eyes brightened when he caught sight of Will.

"Hey," Alex smiled at Will reaching his hand out for him and pulling him into his lap.

Laughing Will adjusted on Alex until he was facing Joey and Vic. Will smiled at Joey; he liked how funny and honest he was. '_Joey reminds me of Alex_.' Catching Vic's shrewd glance Will contemplated moving to a chair. '_No, I'm not changing to make anyone else happy._' Will knew Vic didn't approve of him. '_If Joey reminds me of Alex than Vic reminds me of Sonny_,' Will thought wistfully.

"So, what's there to eat around here," Joey asked loudly while rubbing his stomach. "I'm starving."

"I could make something," Will offered, sliding off of Alex's lap. "Do you like pancakes or waffles better?"

"Pancakes," Alex, Vic and Joey answered at the same time.

'_Must be a Kiriakis thing_,' Will mused as he started pulling out everything he needed.

"I thought," Vic said while seeing Will measuring out flour and sugar, "Um, I heard that you didn't know how to cook."

Pausing, realizing who must have told him that, Will answered, keeping his voice even, "I learned."

Alex, glaring at Vic, added, "Will is a great cook. He also has a steady job and we went to a hockey game last week and he didn't fuck any of the players."

"That's only because none of the Kings players are good looking," Will joked trying to lighten the mood.

Joey, kicking his twins shin, smiled slightly, "Well um now that we're talking about the elephant in the room I think we should discuss what you're going to do."

"About what," Alex questioned while crossing his arms.

"The fact that our mom is marrying Will's Dad," Vic told him plainly.

"_Your_ mom is marrying Will's Dad," Alex said decisively, lips curling, "Not mine."

"Alex," Vic started to argue.

"No," Alex shook his head. "She's not my mother and that's that."

"She raised you," Vic pointed out.

"She raised _you_," Alex shot back, "She tolerated _me_."

"Well," Joey smiled painfully, "I guess if that's how you feel we can't change that. But, um, there's still something else."

"Sonny," Alex snarled. Alex had always had problems with his youngest brother. The biggest reason was the fact that Sonny was the only child that was biologically Adrienne and Justin's. And because of that Alex noticed he was treated the best. '_Vic and Joey either never noticed or never cared_.' Alex couldn't deny that there was a small part of him that got pleasure out of being with Sonny's ex-husband. That he had a life with Will and Ari and Sonny didn't.

"Yeah, _your_ brother," Vic gave Alex a pointed look.

"I know who he is," Alex shook his head, "What about him?"

"Don't you think you should tell him," Joey offered slowly. "I mean, this is definitely something he should hear from you first."

"He doesn't need to know anything," Alex argued. "It's none of his business."

"You don't think he would want to know that you live with his ex," Vic demanded feeling himself get angry on Sonny's behalf.

"I'm standing right here," Will said loudly while flipping a pancake on the griddle. "I think as the ex you're talking about I should have a say too."

"We don't need your opinion," Vic responded quickly, "We know you don't want to tell him."

Getting out a plate and the syrup out of the cupboard Will put the large pancake on the plate and grabbed some silverware. Placing the plate in front of Vic Will looked in his eyes, "For your information I think we should tell Sonny."

"You do," Alex asked quickly pouting a bit that Vic got food before he did. "Will-"

"I just think that it would be the decent thing to do," Will looked over at Alex from his spot at the stove. "Now that this is all happening we should tell everyone. It's not like we have anything to hide."

Alex looked at Will sharply. He couldn't tell what Will was thinking. Usually Alex could look into Will's eyes and read him easily. But not about this.

"Well I think it's a good idea," Joey said helpfully wanting to reach over and steal Vic's plate.

"If this is the right thing to do," Alex asked suddenly, "Why the fuck hasn't anyone told Will?"

"What do you mean," Vic wondered taking a bite of his pancake. '_Holy crap it's actually good.' _

"Adrienne is marrying Will's Dad and no one cared about how Will would feel about that," Alex tossed his head back, "I bet you've even met him, right?" Seeing the twins both nod Alex growled, "So that means that Sonny knows. That Sonny has known for a long time. So why didn't anyone tell Will?"

Will, placing another plate in front of Joey, said, "Alex-"

"Why does Will have to be the one to care about everyone else's feelings, huh? When no one in that stupid fucking town gives a shit about him," Alex roared, face getting red.

"Hey," Will sat back down in Alex's lap, grabbed his face between both his hands and forced him to look at him. "I don't care about any of that." Rubbing Alex's cheeks Will continued, "I accepted that I wasn't important to anyone there, not anymore. I never expected anyone to tell me anything ever again."

"You never wanted to be involved with anything to do with Salem again," Alex whispered, "You told me you left and you were never going back. I remember what you were like when we first met. I don't want to ever see you like that again."

"And I'm not," Will insisted, "You know I'm not. And I haven't even spoken to my dad since before I left. I don't plan on going to Salem. I doubt I'd get a wedding invitation anyway. Adrienne's hated me since the moment Sonny formed an interest."

"I don't know how she could," Alex shook his head staring at Will's face.

"You didn't know me in Salem," Will smiled sadly. "I was awful. Every horrible thing she ever told me was true."

Alex couldn't believe that, he wouldn't, "If you were awful they made you that way."

Will shook his head, "No one ever forced me to do the things I did. Sleeping with Paul, trying to blackmail Tori, lying about Gabi being pregnant, stealing city plans, shooting someone, those were all me. I made my choices. And now I'm here."

"Here is good," Alex bucked his hips slightly making Will laugh.

Vic watched Alex and Will with wide eyes. All the things he was hearing and seeing were confusing him. Nothing he had seen or heard from Will correlated with what he'd been told. Watching the careful yet firm way Alex was holding Will Vic was beginning to realize their relationship might not be an act.

* * *

Joey, barefoot, legs crossed under him, looked between Will and Alex on the couch, "So, who's going to do it?"

Alex cleared his throat, "I'm his brother. I should tell him." '_I'm going to enjoy telling him_.' After seeing the way Will looked talking about Salem and his old life Alex knew there was no way in hell he was letting Will do this.

"Are you sure," Will confirmed, adjusting in Alex's arms so he could see his face. "I can handle him screaming at me."

"That's exactly why you aren't doing this," Alex argued. "I'm not letting anyone ever hurt you or talk to you like that again, especially Sonny."

Will closed his eyes and relaxed against Alex's arms. His cheeks warmed slightly when he felt Alex's large hand clamp against his ass.

Vic, silent from the moment he saw Will and Alex at breakfast, licked his lips, "Will, I think that you should let Alex handle this." Noting the look on Alex's face Vic shook his head, "You don't, you don't deserve anyone yelling at you for moving on and being happy. I don't want you to get hurt."

Shocked by his twin's reaction, Joey chuckled, "Wow, that's some turn around, bro." Slapping him on the back Joey praised, "I'm proud of you. It's pretty damn clear Will and Alex are a sure thing. I'm glad you're done being a dick."

"Thanks," Will smiled shyly at Vic, "That means a lot."

Nodding at Vic meaningfully Alex grabbed his phone off the coffee table, "Alright. Here it goes."

* * *

Sonny looked at his phone in shock. Stepping away from the bar and into his office Sonny answered, "Hello?"

"It's me," Alex said gruffly.

Rolling his eyes at his big brother Sonny said, "Yeah, I know." Sitting in his desk chair Sonny asked, "You never call that often so this must be important."

"I guess it is," Alex replied lowly. His left hand was methodically rubbing Will's ass while he looked between his brothers. "I have something to tell you."

"Oh," Sonny questioned sitting up straighter, "Wait is this about Mom getting married? Because I know you two have always had a rough relationship but I promise Lucas is a decent guy."

"No," Alex interjected, "It's not that." Sighing loudly and putting his forehead on the top of Will's head, Alex conceded, "OK it's kind of connected."

"Then what is it," Sonny asked, "Because I don't really know what would be so-"

"God, just shut up," Alex rolled his eyes, "This is why I don't talk to you." Exhaling loudly, "OK, look, I've been seeing someone and you should probably know about it."

"Why would I need to know about that," Sonny asked beginning to get annoyed with Alex. "I don't need to hear about whatever girl you're sleeping with this month."

"It's not a girl," Alex told him staying silent, hoping Sonny would put it together. "And we've been together for months."

"Not a girl," Sonny looked around his office in confusion. "But who would I need to know about that's connected to Mom getting married," Sonny looked out the window and caught sight of Aiden Jennings walking by. "Alex."

"I didn't know who he was at first," Alex explained calmly, "Then I found out."

"Alex," Sonny repeated staring blankly out the window.

"I'm not apologizing," Alex told him firmly.

"Tell me his name," Sonny asked listlessly. "Just tell me it's not. Alex, please."

Before Alex could respond the front door burst open and four excited children of all ages ran through laughing and screaming.

Sonny held his breath when he overheard the yelling.

"Daddy," Ari jogged to Will quickly. Bouncing on the couch, crushing her father, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!"

"Hey, baby girl," Will responded, sitting up and pulling her into his arms.

With Will tickling and kissing Ari Alex said calmly, "I have to go Sonny."

"Alex wait," Sonny begged.

"Will," Johnny screamed from the kitchen. "I can't find the popcorn!"

"Will, I want to go swimming," Allie whined with her face pressed against the backdoor.

"Will," Sydney stomped her feet. "I want to play dress up. Come on, Ari, hurry."

"Bye Sonny," Alex called loudly into the phone before disconnecting the call.

Sonny dropped his phone to the floor, face pale, '_Oh my god_.'

* * *

Author's note:

I apologize for how long it took to update this. I actually had written two different versions of this and tossed them. I had everything all planned out but when Justin came back on the show he ruined all of my plot and I had to start over.

Please review. I'm curious to know what everyone thought.


	3. Chapter 3

_The next day_

"Ari walk," Will called out from the patio lounger he was sitting on with a beer in one hand. Seeing his daughter roll her eyes at him but follow his directions Will turned to Vic and gave him an exasperated look.

Vic chuckled before taking a pull from his own beer. "I take it Alex taught her that," he asked lightly. Vic was a bit surprised to find himself warming up to Will Horton but here he and Joey were at a Sunday dinner at Sami Brady's house.

"Definitely," Will laughed. He wasn't entirely sure how he was supposed to act around Vic. They were by no means friends but they were at least a tiny bit closer than they were the day before. "It's kind of funny, Ari and Alex."

"What is," Vic questioned turning and looking at his big brother standing by the grill talking to Joey and Sami as he checked on their burgers and hot dogs.

"Just their relationship," Will shrugged, checking on all four of the kids who were jumping and splashing in the pool. "She hated him when she first met him. Refused to call him by his name. But the other day I caught her falling asleep on his chest while they watched TV." Smiling widely Will leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes, basking in the warm California midafternoon sun, "They both like to pretend they don't like each other but I know they do."

Vic knew exactly what Will was talking about. Just last night as Will was wrangling all the kids to bed Vic saw Alex giving Ari a hug goodnight. When Alex noticed he was watching Alex immediately pulled on Ari's long blonde hair, trying to play the whole situation off. Even now Alex's eyes kept going between Will and Ari. '_He's got it so bad, for both of them,_' Vic thought.

Joey laughed loudly at Sami. Chest heaving he had to put his beer down or risk spilling it, "Oh my god. Why does everyone say shit about you? You are amazing."

Giving Joey an amused look Sami shrugged, "I've been saying this for years and no one's listened."

Alex sighed at the both of them before telling Joey, "Don't even think about dating her. I am not dealing with anymore family dysfunction."

As Joey laughed yet again Alex and Sami shared similar shrewd looks. When Sami first met Alex she was excited that her son was finally moving on. Of course she had to threaten him a little but who could blame her? She had seen what had happened to her first born and she was not going to let that happen again.

However, as Will and Alex's relationship progressed Sami began to appreciate Alex. Sami could see the easy way he handled all of Will's insecurities. The way Alex tried to get along with Ari despite his lack of experience with kids. But most of all Sami could see the way Alex looked at her son. '_No one has ever looked at Will like that_,' Sami thought as she saw Alex's blue eyes run over the length of Will's stretched out body.

When Sami found out Alex was a Kiriakis she was tempted to tell Will to run away from Alex. To get as far away as he could before it was too late. '_But how could I tell Will that when he was so happy for the first time in a long time_?' Sami remembered the conversation she had with Will and Alex that day.

"_What the hell do you mean you're last name is Kiriakis," Sami demanded loudly eyes feeling like they were going to bug right out of her head. _

"_Mom," Will tried to placate as he looked over the back of the couch into the other room all the kids were playing in. _

"_Don't Mom me," Sami argued, "How the hell did you not tell Will that before?" _

"_We just never got around to mentioning our last names," Will told her, answering for Alex. "I mean, we've known each other for a long time and it just, it never came up." _

_Sami shook in her head in confusion. '_How could that not come up_?' Will was very upfront with her about his and Alex's first meeting. She was not judging her son for jumping into bed with a total stranger but at some point in time they must have introduced each other, right? _

_Shaking her head Sami's eyes traced Will's face hoping for a sign of some sort that would let her know what he was feeling. '_He can't even say Sonny's name for god's sake! Why would he do this to himself_?' Looking over her son's features Sami saw something she hadn't seen in a long time, confidence. Will wasn't coming to her for advice or wanting comfort. Will was announcing to his mother that his boyfriend was a Kiriakis and that it didn't matter. _

"_Sami," Alex cleared his throat before sitting up on the couch straighter. He had been in Sami's home several times. Had stayed the night in Will's bed several times. He'd spent more time at this house than the meager hotel room he still kept. _

"_Yes," Sami asked sharply. She wished she could reach into Alex's mind and discover what he was thinking. '_Was this all some cruel plot to mess with Will's emotions?'

"_I know that you're concerned about this," Alex explained, hand reaching out to find Will's. He easily laced their fingers and began stroking Will's skin with his thumb. "But I'm not giving up Will. Not for anything." _

"_Really," Sami tiled her head to the side and pursed her lips. _

"_I don't particularly give a shit what Will's name is or where he lived or who he was with before me," Alex easily told her. "Will's with me and that's not going to change." _

"_I guess we'll see won't we," Sami stated as she watched the way her son's eyes lighted up. The small blush painting his cheeks and the proud grin on his face. Catching Alex's eyes Sami hoped he could tell everything she was thinking, '_If you hurt my son there is nothing in this world I wouldn't do to make you pay.'

Snapping out of her memory Sami turned away from Alex. Over the past several months that his and Will's relationship had progressed Sami could admit that she had grown fond of him. He made Will laugh harder than she'd ever seen in his life. He had a gruff but loving way of dealing with Ari. He even got along easily with Sami's other children. He never complained about Sami's constant demands for Will's attention to her at least. _'He even unclogged that drain in the kid's bathroom without too much grumbling_.' Sighing loudly Sami could admit that maybe she had come to think of Alex as another member of her family.

But hearing the news about Lucas and Adrienne was just about enough to throw Sami over the edge. Her relationship with Lucas was always tepid at best. They had both hurt and hurt the other over the years while dragging their two children along with them. Ever since Sami moved to California Lucas had become less and less attentive to Allie. '_And apparently Will_,' Sami thought ruefully.

Now to hear that he was getting married again gave her mixed emotions. It wasn't that she wanted him to be alone forever but the fact that he was moving forward in his life with Adrienne Kiriakis set Sami's blood pressure rising. Sami had always hated that woman. '_That stupid, hypocritical bitch_,' she seethed. Sami could remember the painful conversations she had had with Will over that woman from the very beginning of Will's relationship with Sonny up until he moved away. '_And now Lucas is marrying her and he didn't even have the balls to tell either of us._'

A very large part of Sami wanted to call him up and bitch him out over the phone. But, like Will, Sami was trying to be a better person. '_Instead of yelling at Lucas I'm meeting Alex for lunch tomorrow and the two of us can trash talk Lucas and Adrienne together.' _

With the kids screaming and splashing, and Will spread out enticingly in a patio lounger, Alex felt kind of nice. His brothers were getting along with his new family nicely. He and Sami were on the same wavelength about the bombshell they received. '_And Will looks hot as hell in his swim trunks and the shirt I bought him_.' As much as it embarrassed Will when Alex gave it to him Alex knew Will was secretly pleased if he had no trouble wearing it. '_Besides he is a DILF_."

So hearing the doorbell obnoxiously ring, all the way in the back yard, Alex was not pleased. Putting down his grilling tools Alex groaned, "I swear if it's that stupid neighbor from next door telling us to keep it down I'm gonna shove my sandal up his ass."

"Don't start a feud with my neighbor," Sami called after him.

Stomping inside and to the front door Alex heaved it open with a loud, "What the fuck do you want?"

Only it wasn't the obnoxious neighbor from next door. Standing in front of him was just about the three people he did not want his new family to see, ever.

Glancing over his shoulder slightly Alex stepped out the front door and closed it behind him. Crossing his arms Alex asked, "Does anyone know what a phone is? Most people call before showing up uninvited. And again I ask what the fuck do you want?"

"Alexander," Adrienne Kiriakis, soon to be Horton, scolded. "Watch your language."

Lifting one brow Alex easily dismissed her, "I'm not hearing an answer."

A dark haired man, whom Alex recognized from some pictures as Lucas Horton, gave Alex a harsh look, "Why are you answering the door?"

Smirking slightly Alex answered, "To prevent unwanted guests from interrupting my family time." Hearing a scoff from behind Lucas and Adrienne Alex stood up to his full height, towering over everyone on the front porch, "Something you want tell me?"

"Yeah actually there's a lot of things I want to tell you," Sonny hissed while glaring at his eldest brother.

"Be my guest," Alex replied making a wide sweeping gesture. When Sonny didn't say anything Alex mocked, "Come on. Let me hear it. I wanna know all the angry little thoughts running through Sonny's head."

"Alexander Kiriakis," Adrienne put her hands on her hips, "What in the hell is the matter with you?"

"With me," Alex chuckled without humor, "The only thing wrong right now is you three being here." Shaking his head slightly Alex continued, "So unless you're here to apologize I suggest you leave."

"Apologize," Sonny demanded blinking several times. "Why would any of us have anything to apologize about?"

"If you need it spelled out for you I can't help you," Alex shrugged. "So come back when you know what you want." As Alex turned to go back to the pool the door opened in front of him. Alex's eyes widened and his face pale slightly, '_Fuck go back inside.' _

"Hey," Will asked with a laugh. "We were afraid you actually made good on your threat. What's taking so long?"

Trying to block Will's view Alex put his hands on Will's shoulders and attempted to push him back inside. '_They are not going to ruin this. They are not going to get anywhere near you,_' Alex thought desperately. But it was too late.

"Will," Lucas said loudly trying to get his son's attention.

Will's carefree smile froze on his face. Looking into Alex's eyes Will tried to understand what was happening. Seeing the panicked look on Alex's face, a look so rare Will had only seen it a handful of times, Will reached up and moved Alex's hands off of his shoulder. Standing up straighter, pushing his shoulders back Will pushed the door open further and came face to face with his father, Adrienne and Sonny.

"Dad," Will smiled at him calmly, "What are you doing here?"

"Are you kidding me," Lucas spat out, "After what we found out yesterday where else would we be?"

Will tilted his head slightly and looked at his dad in confusion, "What did you find out that was so important you had to fly all the way out here?"

"This," Adrienne declared pointing her finger between Will and Alex. "Whatever the hell this is."

"I'm not sure I'm following," Will told her with a helpless smile. Will reached behind him and gave Alex's hand a reassuring squeeze. He could already tell just how agitated Alex was feeling. "We're just about ready to eat if you'd like to come in and explain." Not waiting for an answer Will turned in the doorway and walked hand in hand with Alex to the backyard. '_Deep breaths, Horton. You can do this_.'

* * *

Sami smacked Joey on the arm slightly while laughing. "Why aren't all Kiriakis's as entertaining as you and Alex," Sami asked jokingly. "No offense, Vic," she told him once she saw the blank look on his face.

"Well clearly it's every other family member," Joey explained with a smile on his face. "Dad's a pain in the ass but Alex is great. Vic is a pain in the ass and I'm great. And then there's Sonny so if he ever has a kid they'll be great."

"We're adopted you dumbass," Vic laughed loudly shaking his head at his brother's antics. He took a large gulp of his beer as he saw Will and Alex coming back outside. Seeing the group following behind them caused Vic to choke and cough loudly.

Alex, seeing Ari standing near the table getting a drink, walked by her and muttered, "If you pretend you don't know these people I'll take you to Disneyland every weekend for the rest of your life."

Ari put down her cup slowly before walking over to the pool and doing a cannonball with a wide smile on her face.

Will walked over to his mother quickly and said, "Don't freak out." Taking a few calming breaths Will faced the others and said, "Can I get you something to drink?"

Alex was worried about Will. He never thought Sonny would actually come all the way to California after his phone call. At most he thought he'd get an angry phone call from Adrienne berating him for upsetting her precious baby. '_Of course I should have known it was big enough to warrant a cross country trip._' Alex trailed his fingers along Will's bare arm as he walked passed and checked on the grill. He could feel Sonny glaring holes in the back of his head. '_Yeah, this is a normal reaction for someone that demanded a divorce.' _

"Will," Lucas shook his head as he took in his surroundings. He was a little surprised to see Joey and Vic hanging out in his ex-wife's backyard. "What the hell is going on?"

Sami, bristling at the people barging into her home and demanding things from her son, pushed Joey out of her way until she was standing directly in front of Lucas and Adrienne, "I think the better question is what the hell you think you're doing?"

"Sami, not now," Lucas rolled his eyes, "I'm not here to fight with you."

"Well you sure aren't here to see your daughter," Sami said pointedly before crossing her arms, "And apparently you don't care about your son either. So why don't you go ahead and tell me why you're here." Seeing Adrienne was going to open her mouth Sami immediately barked out, "I wasn't talking to you."

Will looked between his parents slowly vaguely reminded of his childhood when this was a common occurrence. He didn't want this. He really didn't. '_I'm allowed to move on and it shouldn't matter who it's with_.' But Will knew better than to jump into a fight between his parents. Ignoring the intense stare coming from Sonny Will glanced over at the kids.

Alex smirked widely. He had heard from Will about Sami's infamous verbal lashings and he was excited to see one first hand, '_Particularly since it's not being leveled at me.' _

Joey stood uselessly next to Alex by the grill. He was holding his beer and smiling awkwardly at Sonny. He lifted his hand in a small wave. '_Uh, this is uncomfortable_.'

Vic, having recovered from his coughing fit, didn't know what to do. While he liked Will better today than when he met him Vic still felt like he was betraying Sonny being here. Slowly inching towards his baby brother Vic tried to catch Alex's eyes and make him understand.

"Sami," Lucas shook his head already feeling frustrated. "I'm very confused here and I'd like some answers."

Sami glared at him harshly before deciding, "Get out."

"What," Lucas asked feeling a bit surprised.

"You heard me," Sami retorted before turning her back and walking over to her drink. "Why don't you call next time you feel like barging in unwanted? Make an appointment. We're a little busy today so," Sami waved her hand at him.

Not wanting to cause a scene Will said, "Mom just let them stay."

"Will," Sami started to say wanting to keep her son away from anything to do with Salem.

"They're already here," Will shrugged, trying to appear unaffected. "Besides the kids need to get out for dinner anyway, right?"

Catching Will's eyes Alex nodded as he started taking the food off the grill. They already had all of the condiments and sides out and ready.

Sami sighed before yelling loudly, "Kids, dinner!"

Will smiled half-heartedly and told his father, Adrienne and Sonny, "You can help yourselves. Drinks are in the cooler." He walked over to the side of the pool and helped pass out towels for all the kids.

"Daddy," Ari smiled at him as she wrapped her towel around herself. "Can I eat two hot dogs?"

"How about you start with one," Will suggested as he bent down to rub the towel up and down her arms. "And don't think you aren't eating your veggies."

"Aw," Ari pouted before taking his hand and walking over to the food.

"Do you want to go say hi to anyone," Will asked carefully. He didn't have many pictures of his father around the house. He hadn't even talked about Sonny or Adrienne since they left Salem. He wasn't sure if she would remember them or not. He wasn't sure if he wanted her to either.

Ari looked between Lucas, Adrienne and Sonny and shrugged. Sticking her hand out politely, the way she was taught, Ari smiled widely, "Hi, I'm Ari. It's nice to meet you."

Sonny inhaled sharply when he saw Ari. '_Oh god she's so big. I almost didn't recognize her._'

"Ari," Lucas, putting Allie back on the ground after she jumped in his arms, asked, "Don't you remember us?"

"Nope," Ari answered simply, putting her hand down when no one took it. She turned on her heels and stood in front of Alex. Giving Alex a knowing look Ari hugged his leg and said innocently, "Al, I'm hungry."

"Here," Alex, trying not to smile proudly, handed Will over a plate that he already made for Ari.

"I don't like mustard," she responded automatically going back to her usual way of talking to Alex.

"Yes you do," Will chuckled. He didn't want to know how his father, Adrienne and Sonny reacted to Ari. Instead he looked around the backyard and realized there weren't going to be enough chairs for everyone with so many extra people. Will sat down and put Ari on his lap.

"I'll get you a plate," Alex told him casually. Looking at Ari Alex said firmly, "And eat your damn vegetables kid."

"You know the next time she gets in trouble for swearing at school," Will informed Alex as he walked over to the table with the food. "I'm making you go to the conference with her teacher."

Sonny sunk into an empty seat completely empty-handed. He couldn't process what he was seeing. He could barely even think. Instead he just stared at Will and Ari across the table from him mind blank.

"So," Joey sat down next to Will and Ari. "This is pretty damn uncomfortable for everyone huh?"

"It's damn uncomfortable," Ari repeated giving Joey a sly smile.

Will tapped her hand quickly, "What did I tell you about repeating what Alex says?"

"Mmm," Ari pretended to think, "But I was repeating Joey not Alex."

"Arianna," Will said firmly.

"Sorry Daddy," Ari told him before turning in his lap and smiling at him widely, ketchup and mustard all over her face.

Will smiled widely at his daughter. When Alex sat down at his other side and handed over a plate full of everything Will wanted he couldn't help but beam at him too. Avoiding looking at Sonny Will started eating.

"Al," Ari said suddenly. "Where's my camera? I need to take a picture of my dinner."

Alex shrugged, "How would I know? I told you to be responsible and not lose it."

Will smiled and squeezed Ari's tiny hips and told her, "It's by my chair over there, remember?"

Wiggling off her Daddy's lap Ari ran to the chair wet hair dripping behind her. Picking up the camera and holding it to her chest Ari plunked back on Will's lap and immediately started snapping photos.

Will smiled proudly. Ari had developed an interest in photography after Alex tossed her an old digital camera he was going to get rid of. Ari's bedroom was covered with pictures she had taken. While most of the shots didn't turn out Ari didn't seem to care.

Alex put down his burger and sighed yanking the camera out of her hands, "Kid, how many times do I have to tell you? Adjust the settings."

"I know what I'm doing," Ari argued pulling the camera away from Alex when he took it from her. When Alex stopped reaching for it Ari turned it and zoomed in on Alex's face. Taking an extreme close up of his nose Ari giggled manically when Alex started reaching for the camera again to delete it.

Adrienne stood uselessly watching Alex interact with Arianna. She had never seen him like that. She was used to the Alex that greeted them at the door. Abrasive and defensive. She had no idea what to do with this Alex.

Will grabbed the camera from Ari, "You two can battle it out after dinner."

Ari stuck her tongue out at Alex, "You got in trouble with Daddy."

"Nope," Alex decided, "It was your fault."

"Nu uh," Ari teased back.

"Uh yeah," Alex shot back.

"Well Daddy loves me more," Ari insisted furrowing her brows and glaring at Alex.

"Psh," Alex dismissed, "I'm better looking and I'm less work."

"Nope," Ari smiled at him smugly. "Daddy said I'm the prettiest girl in the world who is a perfect angel."

"What," Alex spat out in mock exaggeration. "That's ridiculous." Taking a long drink of his beer, seeing Sonny staring at him in horror, Alex added, "Besides Daddy doesn't like girls. Daddy only plays with boys."

Sitting up straighter Ari, around a mouthful of hot dog, replied, "I'm Daddy's little princess. You're just his bear."

Will laughed loudly at that. When Alex started spending the night with him while they were still living at Sami's Will wasn't quite sure how to explain why Alex was sleeping in his bed. The only thing Will could come up with was that Alex was to Will like Ari's teddy bear was to her. '_I can't believe she still remembers that_.'

Joey, who had been watching the conversation with a wide smile, sprayed bits of hamburger all over the table as he laughed obnoxiously.

Alex smiled smugly and winked at Ari. He always thought kids were too much work with little to no rewards but every now and again Alex could admit Ari was pretty fantastic.

"Really," Sami called from the next table. She was keeping a keen eye on Will, Ari and Alex. "Alexander?"

"Why are you blaming me," Alex asked while he chuckled.

"It saves time," Sami answered. "Or do I have to remind you about the time Johnny told his teacher she was hot?"

"Well she is hot," Alex snorted, "But I still didn't tell him to tell her that."

"Mom," Will admitted with a smile, "Actually this one's my fault." Seeing her annoyed look he held his hands up, "Because he's my teddy bear. Not that kind of bear, geez."

"Well obviously," Joey added loudly, "Just look at him. Clearly not a bear."

Ari, wrinkling her nose, said, "He doesn't look like a teddy bear either, Daddy."

"Oh trust me," Will patted her back, "He's nice and cuddly." Ignoring the look Alex gave him Will added, "Just with Daddy."

"Oh he does a lot of things just with Daddy," Joey added helpfully. "Aww look at how red his cheeks are Ari. Alex looks like Daddy now."

Alex took a large bite of his burger and pretended he couldn't hear anyone. '_Assholes._'

Will took a bite of his own dinner before looking up and catching Sonny's eyes. Maybe once upon a time Will would have been able to read the look in his eyes, '_But not now_.' Will gave Sonny a half smile before going back to his food. He really had no idea how he was supposed to feel or act now. '_How do I act around the man I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with_?'

Lucas was staring daggers at Alex Kiriakis. Lucas had never met the kid but he had heard plenty of stories. None of the stories involved him settling down with a man let alone one with a child.

"Daddy, I'm full," Ari announced as she leaned back in Will's arms.

Will carefully brushed her hair out of her face and smiled at her sweetly. After checking out her plate Will allowed her to follow Johnny, Allie and Sydney inside to play. "But put your clothes back on," Will called out.

"Huh," Alex commented. "She actually ate everything for once."

"Swimming makes you hungry," Will said as he finished eating himself. He had the feeling tonight was going to be long.

* * *

Will helped clean up the table and wrap up all the extra food just like he did every Sunday evening. The kids were all inside watching TV and messing around. If it was a regular Sunday Will and Alex would clean up and be on their way home but Will knew tonight was going to be different. Taking some leftovers inside Will wasn't surprised that Alex followed him.

As soon as Will put everything in the fridge and closed it Alex shoved Will against it and kissed him firmly. All Alex wanted to do ever since Will caught sight of Sonny was touch him. He wanted to hold him and shield him and mark him all at the same time. Licking across Will's mouth Alex was desperate to be as close to Will as possible.

Moaning and automatically wrapping his arms around Alex's neck Will enjoyed the kiss before pulling away gently. "We need to go back," Will whispered against his mouth.

"No we don't," Alex replied as his hands slid down Will's body to his ass. "We could sneak upstairs. Enjoy the rest of our evening."

"You know I'd rather do that," Will laughed, leaning up to kiss Alex one last time, "But we can't put it off anymore."

"Fine," Alex sighed, "But you owe me." Alex slapped Will's ass teasingly before they walked back outside holding hands.

Will, pushing Alex into his own chair absolutely refusing to share for this conversation, sat next to his mother at one of the tables outside near the pool. His father, Adrienne and Sonny were sitting directly across from them with Joey and Vic on the ends. It wasn't exactly his dream location for this to happen. Of course he never thought this was going to happen at all. Will kept his shoulders straight and against the back of the chair hand reaching for Alex's instinctively.

Lucas stared at his son trying to figure out what was going on behind his blue eyes. He hadn't seen Will in so long and he didn't actually take the time to get a good look at him before. Lucas was a bit surprised by how put together Will seemed. He didn't know what he was going to see when they all got here but it wasn't this.

Somehow knowing he was going to have to be the one to get everything started Will took one good look inside the house just to make sure everything was OK. Hearing Ari loudly exclaiming to Sydney Will was silently thankful his daughter had picked up that genetic trait. Clearing his throat Will asked, "Dad what are you doing here?"

"You really can't be surprised about this Will," Lucas said slowly observing how Alex's body was turned subtly towards Will.

"Well seeing as how I haven't talked to you in over a year," Will said rationally, "Yeah I can be surprised." Reaching across the table for the beer he was drinking with dinner Will polished it off and added, "So just tell me whatever it is you think you need to tell me."

Lucas didn't know what he wanted to say. When he found out the news about Will and Alex all he could think about was how he had to confront Will. That he had to end whatever it was going through Will's head. But now? Now he wasn't even sure what to do.

Adrienne, gripping Lucas's hand tightly in her own, took a deep breath and said, "I think we all know why we're here. We're here to put an end to this ridiculous notion of a relationship."

Alex sucked his cheeks into his mouth and threw his head back, "Excuse me?"

"Alex," Will put his free hand on Alex's forearm hoping to prevent him from making everything worse.

"No, Will," Alex shook his head. "No. These people," Alex gestured to the three sitting across from them. "They don't get to come here and start demanding things when they don't know anything about us. Either of us."

"Trust me," Adrienne shook her hair out of her face, "We all know the type of person Will Horton is."

"Oh really," Sami slammed her drink on the table, "Please enlighten us about your never ending knowledge of my son."

"Mom," Will shook his head. The last thing he wanted to do was hold his mother back from leaping across the table at Adrienne. '_This would be so much easier if Mom and Alex weren't here_.' Looking at everyone around the table Will explained easily, "If we're going to do this then there isn't going to be any arguing or yelling or insulting."

Sighing loudly, knowing most of those comments were directed at him, Alex nodded before moving his chair closer to Will's. There was something about being near Will that calmed him down.

Sonny held onto the arms of his chair tightly. He thought he would be able to handle this. He thought he could see Will again and it would be fine. '_I am not fine. I am the opposite of fine.' _

"Now," Will cleared his throat after making sure his mom wasn't going to fly off the deep end. "Adrienne," Will addressed her as politely as he could, "I don't know what you think is going on with me and Alex but if you're here to break us up? It's not going to happen."

Taken aback by the confident tone Adrienne replied, "Will, I know why you're doing this OK."

Closing his eyes and squeezing Alex's hand Will, trying to keep his cool, stated, "You have no idea about anything in our life Adrienne."

Alex, refusing to let Will deal with this alone, agreed, "I don't know what bullshit you're thinking but I already know it's not true. And before you even say anything Will and I being together is because of me, not him."

Sonny, who had been too busy staring at Will, looked at Alex incredulously. He knew Alex always had some sort of grudge against him but he never would have expected this.

"How could that," Adrienne shook her head in confusion. "Alex, none of this makes any sense."

Alex shrugged, "I picked him up in a bar. It's not that hard to understand."

"What," Lucas questioned loudly.

"He's hot," Alex started explaining like everyone was stupid. "I wanted to sleep with him. Why is that so hard of a concept?"

"Makes sense to me," Joey added helpfully. He wasn't entirely sure what he was supposed to be feeling about this all beyond being amused.

Will gave Alex a sharp look, "Really?"

"I didn't buy you that shirt for nothing," Alex commented with a leer.

Crossing his arms so no one could see what was written on his shirt Will bit his lip and cursed his blushing cheeks, "Alex, you aren't helping."

"I wasn't trying to," he admitted honestly.

"From now on you aren't talking," Will told him before elaborating, "Alex and I met at a bar near my office. We started seeing each other. We didn't know about us both being connected to Salem until after. And now we're here."

"And here is what," Lucas demanded looking between the two of them repeatedly, "Because I still don't know what's happening here."

"Will really didn't get his brains from you did he," Alex mumbled under his breath. "Here would be our weekly Sunday night dinner with Sami and the kids. That thing families do when they all like each other."

Adrienne looked at Alex disapprovingly, "Alex none of this is making any sense. This," she gestured with her hands, "This isn't you. It's never been you."

"Because you really know me so well," Alex rolled his eyes. "For your information I like being here. We have fun. The kid has fun. I enjoy spending my time here before going home."

"The home he owns with Will," Joey added with a smile, nodding his head and trying to make things less painful.

"What," Lucas questioned, practically stealing the words out of Sonny's mouth. "Will what is he talking about?"

"We bought a house," Will told his father not understanding the big deal. "It's not like I was going to live with Mom forever. Or like Alex could move in with us. It made more sense."

"You two actually bought a house," Adrienne couldn't wrap her head around this, "Together?"

"Yes," Alex said in a bored tone. "We found one we liked. We still have a bit more renovations to do but it's coming along. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I just, I never could have pictured this for you," Adrienne admitted. She couldn't help herself from looking over at Sonny terrified of how he was taking all of this. '_He isn't saying anything_.'

"I would say the same about you but I'd be lying," Alex gave her a bitter smile.

Scowling at Alex again Lucas patted Adrienne's hand, upset to see her face downcast, "You know you don't have to act like such an ass to your mother."

"The day I take parenting advice from you," Alex snorted, "Is probably the day the three of you admit you're self-righteous hypocrites."

"Alex," Will warned in a quiet voice, not wanting him to go off on anyone.

"What the hell is your problem," Lucas demanded, "Why are you doing this to her?"

"Oh I'm sorry," Alex pouted, "Am I hurting her wittle feelings? Does she not like it when people point out her mistakes? Say, Adrienne, how many different times have you cheated on my dad by the way?"

Adrienne lifted her head and dropped open her mouth dramatically.

Before Lucas had a chance to run his trap Alex continued, "Because I think you are probably the last person in the world to talk to me about relationships. Actually from what I've heard no one on that side of the table is in any position to judge anyone about anything."

"What the hell are you talking about," Sonny gritted out, fingers clenched painfully tight in a fist. He thought he could handle this. He thought he would see them and realize it was all a mistake. All some cruel joke at his expense. But he was starting to think that wasn't it.

"Figure it out," Alex barely glanced at Sonny before he started standing up. He knew Will was going to kill him if he really let them know what he was thinking. "I'll be right back," he said before going inside to check on the kid.

Will followed Alex with his eyes until he was out of sight. '_He's definitely handling this worse than I am_,' Will noted.

Clearing his throat Will gave everyone an uneasy smile, "He's defensive you know."

"So," Will tapped his fingers on the table nervously, "How long are you all staying?"

"Our flight leaves tonight," Lucas answered his son. Lucas just didn't know what to think anymore.

"You came here for a few hours in the hopes of doing what," Will asked, eyebrows wrinkling, "I still don't know why you're here."

"We wanted to talk to you," Lucas admitted, "To make sure that you weren't just doing this for revenge."

"Revenge for what," Will wondered not getting it.

Sonny huffed loudly, "Like you don't know."

Licking across his teeth, refusing to get upset, Will shook his head, "So let me see if I got this right. You thought I was with Alex because what? I'm a horrible person who spends his days plotting ways to get back at all of you? Or just Sonny?"

When no one said anything Will continued, "Because as far as revenge plots go being with someone for over a year without telling you seems a little farfetched."

Sami, who had been watching everything keenly, smiled viciously, "How thoughtful of them all to come all the way here to tell you how awful you are. I guess they didn't do that enough in Salem."

"That's not," Lucas tried to defend before trailing off. '_That is what this is isn't it? I hopped on a plane to fly all the way to California to tell my son I thought he was doing something terrible. I haven't even talked to him since before he left. What is wrong with me?'_

"What else were we supposed to think," Sonny mumbled under his breath. "We all know the things you did in Salem."

Sitting up straighter and flaring his nostrils Will pressed his lips together, trying not to get upset. "You must think an awful lot of yourself if you think after all this time I've been sitting around twiddling my thumbs thinking of ways to get you back," Will told Sonny calmly.

"Excuse me," Sonny said feeling baffled by Will's response. '_Why isn't he getting upset or defensive?' _

"No," Will shook his head, "That's what you're used to right. Guy's never getting over you or moving on. Well I hate to break it to you but I'm not Paul. I learned how to get over my first love. I'm not in love with you and I don't want to be with you anymore."

Adrienne and Lucas both looked at Sonny in alarm. They didn't know how he was going to respond to that.

"I don't, I didn't, what the hell do you want from me," Sonny finally settled on.

"Me," Will wrinkled his nose, "You're the one that came all this way. I didn't want to see you. I think I made that perfectly clear when I left without saying goodbye to you people. I don't want anything to do with you."

"That's not for you to decide," Sonny argued, "That wasn't fair to just leave without notice. To take Ari without notice!"

"Well I'm sorry," Will said sarcastically, "But I don't care what you think is fair. We left and we're never going back, not for you not for anything. We are no longer together Sonny. And we're never going to be ever again. I am with Alex and that's it."

Will scooted his chair away from the table, "Now unless you have anything else to say to me I think we're done here."

Will coolly walked into the house, finding Alex sitting on the floor with Ari in his lap as the two tried to beat Johnny at video games. Will couldn't stop the wide smile from spreading across his face at the sight.

* * *

Sami, legs crossed, circled her foot in the air, "Well wasn't that interesting."

"Not now Sami," Lucas said shaking his head and running his fingers through his hair.

"I don't care what you want," Sami informed them, "You're on my property which means you get to listen or get the hell out. I don't know what the hell you three were thinking coming here but it didn't work. Will and Alex are happy and together."

"Oh please," Adrienne hissed, "They don't know what they want."

Sami ignored Adrienne and looked at Lucas, "And you," she said, "You are the worst of them all. You abandoned both your children for that," Sami gestured to Adrienne, "And yet you felt the need to come all this way to lecture my son on something you have no business being involved in."

"He's my son too," Lucas defended, "I have every right to come here."

"No you don't," Sami rolled her eyes. "You have no rights. You're just lucky they were here today because there was no way in hell I was ever going to tell you where to find Will."

Sami stood up, leaning with her hands on the table, glaring at Sonny, "And don't think for one instant I didn't notice the fact that the second you heard my son moved on in his life you were on a plane to stop it."

Holding up her hand to silence Sonny Sami added, "You might think you're some great prize Jackson Kiriakis but you're not. You made a colossal mistake letting Will go. And maybe I didn't see it before but I do now. You never deserved Will, ever. Now why don't you run along back to Salem and your little boyfriend? Who I'm sure will be thrilled you rushed all the way out here for your ex-husband."

Sami marched into the house. Alex, who was standing near the back door, lifted up his hand and hi-fived her as she walked passed.

Alex sat down on the chair he vacated a few minutes before. '_If I pretend Lucas isn't here it's almost like old times. Sonny being babied while the rest of us look on in awkward silence.' _

Adrienne, turning away from Sonny, looked at Alex, "I just don't understand what you're thinking, Alex."

"No one asked you," Alex pointed out nastily. "Quite frankly I don't even know why you're here. As soon as the divorce is final you and I are nothing."

Eyes beginning to water Adrienne whispered, "That's not true."

"Oh but it is," Alex crossed his arms, "You're nothing to me."

"Alex," Vic scolded, having remained silent almost throughout the uncomfortable scene, but he didn't like seeing his mother so upset.

"What," Alex asked, "She's never acted like my mother. She doesn't treat me like her son. Why the hell would I want to deal with her? In fact, I'm beginning to think the reason she spent her entire three marriages with Dad cheating on him is because of me."

Adrienne, tears beginning to fall from her eyes, fell into Lucas's arms.

Alex rolled his eyes, "Because nothing's going to be as painful as your husband having a kid with someone else so he probably had it coming." '_Especially when Adrienne took forever to get knocked up with Sonny. Damn miracle baby_.'

"Seriously," Lucas growled, "I've had enough of you."

"Well the feeling's mutual asshole," Alex spat. "As step-father's go I gotta say I'm glad you won't be mine. Since you aren't loyal to your own kids I can only imagine how dreadful you'd be."

"What the hell are you talking about," Lucas demanded wishing he could reach over the table and smack Alex.

"Gee, I don't know," Alex snarked, "Could it be the fact that you ditched your son to go along with whatever Adrienne wanted. Or maybe that you hang around Sonny and his dumbass boyfriend. No, you know what I'd say the biggest thing is the fact that you came here because you thought Will was out to hurt Sonny. Because Will only exists for Sonny right? Because why the hell would Will do anything if it's not for Sonny? Not to mention how you seem to forget you have a daughter."

"We get it," Sonny snorted, "You're jealous. You've always been jealous of me. But you don't know anything about Will."

"Oh really," Alex asked sardonically. Smirking slightly Alex said, "I bet I know more about Will than you do."

"There's no way that you know what any of us know," Sonny insisted, "Will would never tell you any of it."

"Like what," Alex smiled, "Like shooting Sami's dead husband when he was a kid? Like fucking your little baseball player? Like blackmailing your boyfriend's mom? Like that crap with your therapist? Hate to break it to you baby brother but I know everything."

"If you know everything how can you be with him," Adrienne wiped her eyes, "How can you be with him after what he put Sonny through?"

"Oh poor Sonny," Alex pouted, "Poor sweet, innocent, perfect Sonny who never does anything wrong."

"No, no he didn't do anything wrong," Adrienne defended, "It was all Will."

"Of course it was," Alex clapped his hands together, "Because Will's always wrong and Sonny's the perfect angel who was so kind and considerate to give him a chance. Who cares about the fact that Sonny let you treat Will like shit their entire relationship," Alex looked at Adrienne. "Or that time he kicked Will out of his apartment because Will was insecure and scared. Or even that time he said Will wasn't allowed to keep secrets from him when Sonny was allowed to keep his own. Or how he kept lists of all the things wrong with Will."

Turning to face Sonny directly Alex ranted, "But I think my favorite has to be that you didn't tell your husband about all the times you made out with your ex behind his back. Or the fact that you didn't tell Will about him at all. That whole using Will because your ex wouldn't change his life for you, that was perfectly fine. Or how you didn't give a shit that Paul slept with Will only that Will slept with Paul. Or how you ran right to him when things got rough.

"Yeah, you're a perfect saint, Sonny," Alex finished. _'Damn do I wish Will was listening to this.' _

Sonny didn't even know how to respond to that. '_I didn't, that wasn't, that isn't true.' _

"You can sit there feeling as self-righteous as you want," Alex shrugged, "But don't for a second think I buy any of it. And don't think that I'm ever letting you near Will or Ari again. Your pointless trip is done, now get out," Alex announced before getting up again and going inside.

* * *

Vic and Joey talked to Lucas and Adrienne quietly inside the house just inside the front entrance. The twins didn't know what to do about the situation they found themselves in. On one hand they knew that Alex and Will were a sure thing. In fact the time they spent with them was pretty fun. It was surprisingly nice seeing Alex so happy and carefree.

But on the other hand Sonny and Adrienne seemed to have such issues with Will. Just like Alex had with Sonny and Adrienne. They didn't want to see their family get torn apart because of Will either.

"We need to get going to the airport soon," Lucas said as he checked the time.

"Where's Sonny," Adrienne asked as she turned her head from side to side.

* * *

"Will," Sonny called his name softly. He could see the way the dark fabric of the ridiculous tank top Will was wearing clung to his skin. The same skin that was darker than the last time he saw him. _'From hours in the sun_,' Sonny thought. '_His hair is lighter too.' _

Will turned around and looked Sonny straight in the eyes. He went outside on the deck to get away from Sonny not for this to happen.

Sonny's lips began to tremble. '_This isn't Will. I don't know this man_.' The Will he knew would be curled into himself, hiding from everyone. He would be crying. But this Will his eyes were bright and clear. His back was straight. He didn't look at Sonny like he hung the moon. '_He looks at me like I don't mean anything_.'

"Yes," Will asked voice firm and even. He didn't want to do this. He wasn't ready to do this, to see Sonny alone.

"I-I don't know," Sonny sighed as he clamped down on his lips so Will wouldn't see them quiver. "I just, I don't know."

Will raised an eyebrow at Sonny, "I don't have anything to say to you Sonny."

"How," Sonny finally cried out, practically shouting, "How can you have nothing to say to me? After everything! After what you did."

"What did I do," Will asked finding himself getting annoyed. "Alex and I explained everything already, Sonny. I didn't go out of my way to date your brother. But I am. And it has absolutely nothing to do with you."

"It doesn't," Sonny sneered. Ever since his conversation with Alex on the phone Sonny felt his emotions changing quicker than anything he'd ever felt. One second he was horrified and the next he wanted to scream. He wanted to hit something and cry. He wanted to make Will hurt as much as he was hurting. "How could it not have everything to do with me," Sonny mocked.

Will stood up straighter, holding his head up high. This was a Sonny he had learned to deal with before he left Salem for good. The Sonny that would tell him how much he wanted everything to work out one second while ripping him apart the next. The Sonny that didn't know what he wanted other than to make Will feel terrible. '_Well he's not doing that this time. I'm not allowing him to do that this time.'_

Will shook his head, "It has nothing to do with you Sonny because I have nothing to do with you. You do not mean anything to me anymore." Will didn't take any pleasure in seeing the hurt spread across Sonny's features at the admission. "I'm sorry that we didn't work out the way we wanted to. But I'm not sorry for moving on with my life or for being with Alex."

Sonny stared at Will, mouth hanging open. He thought he had moved passed Will. That he had left their relationship behind the moment he filed for divorce. Then suddenly Will was gone and he didn't have to think about him. His life was so busy acclimating himself with Paul and his business and he didn't think of Will. He didn't let himself think of Will.

But in those weak moments when he let his guard down he'd see Will's face. When someone would order a plain black coffee Sonny would flash to the night Will confessed he was gay. When he'd see a child running through the park he'd think of Ari and the first time Will ever held her. He'd look across the table and see John and Marlena and all he could see would be Will. Will's face when they got married. Will's face when Sonny confronted him about Paul. Will's face when he asked for a divorce.

He told himself it was normal. Will was a part of his life for so long and he left without notice. He left without saying goodbye. But he was moving on with Paul. He had the life he always wanted when he was younger. His life in Salem was calm and peaceful without Will Horton in it.

But looking at the Will standing before him Sonny didn't recognize him. He wasn't his Will. He wasn't the Will who pushed away from their first kiss because he was still afraid to be gay. He wasn't the Will who canceled their first date because he heard Sonny's mother say Will wasn't good enough. He wasn't the Will that shrunk and hid at the first sign of an argument. He wasn't the Will who begged and pleaded with Sonny to give their marriage another chance. To give Will another chance. Sonny didn't know this Will.

Sonny didn't know a Will that would tell everyone to act like adults. Sonny didn't know a Will that kept his calm when someone insulted him. Sonny didn't know a Will that would look at Sonny's brother like he was the only thing that Will would ever need. Sonny didn't know this Will and he didn't know what to do. '_I just want to see my Will_,' Sonny thought desperately. '_He has to be here somewhere. He can't just be gone forever.'_

Will felt uncomfortable seeing so many emotions fly across Sonny's face. A part of Will wanted to lay into Sonny; tell him every hurt and every insecurity that Sonny ever made him feel was gone. That Will washed those all away. That Will loved himself now. That Alex made Will feel things Sonny never did, never could. But something held him back.

Instead Will took a deep breath and gently wrapped his arms around Sonny, touching Sonny for the first time in over a year. Whispering lowly Will said, "Goodbye, Sonny." Will kissed his cheek softly before walking inside.

Alex was waiting for Will near the door. He respected Will's privacy enough to not eavesdrop on his conversation but the second he saw Sonny heading for the door Alex was up watching them. Taking a look at the confusion on Will's face Alex grabbed his hand and guided him up the stairs to Will's old bedroom. Sitting on the edge of the bed Alex asked, "Are you alright?"

Will nodded lethargically. He would be alright yes but he wasn't OK. Every emotion he had held back since they arrived at the house and ambushed him came swimming to the top, ready to overflow. Instinctively Will threw himself into Alex's strong arms and collapsed.

"You're OK," Alex reassured, rubbing Will's back up and down comfortingly. "It's over. They're not going to bother us anymore." Alex hated this. He hated everything about this stupid night. In this moment he hated Adrienne and he hated Lucas and he hated his stupid brother. _'I wish Will had never met him. I wish Sonny had never gone to Salem.'_

Will pulled away from Alex breathing heavily yet with dry eyes. Will wasn't going to cry over this. He couldn't cry over this. He had promised himself a long time ago that he was never going to cry over Jackson Kiriakis again. Will scratched absentmindedly at his chest and looked down. Will started to chuckle suddenly before it bubbled and grew in his chest exploding into full blown laughter.

"What's so funny," Alex asked raising one brow. He much preferred a laughing Will to a melancholy one but he was feeling lost.

"I just realized I basically had a show down with those people while I was wearing this shirt," Will pulled on his DILF shirt before throwing himself on the bed and rolling around.

Alex tried to contain his chortling but it was impossible. The ridiculousness of the situation was dawning on him as well. Alex fell on top of Will's wriggling body, holding his shoulders into the bed.

With a wide leer Alex bent forward and kissed Will, mouth working against Will's in a familiar beat. Feeling all of the tension and anxiety building in his shoulders release Alex moaned appreciatively. Alex pulled away a small distance before whispering, "I'm the only one that gets to fuck you."

Grinning, Will wrapped his arms around Alex's neck. Staring straight into Alex's deep blue eyes Will licked his lips and said, "So take me home and fuck me."

* * *

Will closed the book he finished reading to Ari before putting it on a shelf in her room. "Are you all set for bed," Will checked reaching out his hand and stroking Ari's face.

"Yes Daddy," Ari nodded. "Daddy," Ari questioned softly, "Tonight, who were those people at Grandma's?"

"Alex's family and mine and Allie's Dad," Will explained gently.

"Oh," Ari said, "They looked kind of familiar but I wasn't sure."

"I thought you didn't know them at all," Will blinked a few times looking at his daughter suspiciously.

"Oh yeah, that's what I meant," Ari gave her daddy the biggest, best smile she could.

"Did Alex tell you to act like you didn't remember them," Will asked with a laugh.

"Yes," Ari nodded, "Now he has to take me to Disneyland."

Noting the proud look on her face Will pulled her blanket up higher against her, sighing slightly Will said, "But you didn't remember them anyway?"

"Nope," Ari giggled. "But Alex didn't know that."

* * *

"You've created a monster," Will announced as he walked into his and Alex's bedroom.

"Huh," Alex asked, lying spread out on the bed. His head was a mess. '_God I can't even imagine what Will's head must be like.' _

"Ari," Will smiled widely thinking about his little girl. "She's too clever for her own good. She has all of mine and Gabi's sneakiest traits."

"Maybe she'll actually get away with a crime unlike you two," Alex commented as he lifted his arms up, reaching out for Will.

"Oh ha, ha," Will said as he crawled next to Alex on the bed. He put his head on Alex's shoulder and closed his eyes, hand sneaking under Alex's shirt.

Alex moaned lightly when he felt Will's nails drag against his stomach.

Will bit his lip and pulled Alex's shirt up. "You know," Will said slightly, "I really love this."

"What's that pet," Alex purred as he helped Will pull the shirt over his head.

"This," Will splayed his hands over Alex's chest and stomach. "Your body," Will licked his lips.

"Oh yeah," Alex smirked, "I think I already knew that. You pretty much gave that away the first night we spent together when I literally had to rip you away from my abs."

Cheeks slightly pink Will straddled Alex's hips, "I don't remember that. Although I do seem to remember you being obsessed with my ass."

Dragging his fingers from Will's hips to the swell of his ass Alex smiled widely, "That's because I am." Squeezing harshly Alex groaned when he felt Will beginning to grind against him.

Grinning when he felt Alex's hands slip into his pants Will leaned forward, arms bracketing Alex's head, and caught Alex's lips in a wet, warm kiss.

Alex let Will control the tempo of their kiss for a few minutes, enjoying the gentle glide of Will's tongue and the friction from their hips. Before long Alex pulled one hand out of Will's pants and reached up for the back of his neck and rolled Will onto his back.

Laughing against Alex's lips, amazed Alex lasted that long, Will wrapped his arms around Alex's neck and sighed when he felt Alex kiss him deeply.

Alex moved his hand from Will's neck to his cheek, thumb grazing over his skin lightly. He pulled away from Will's lips and gazed at Will's face. He wished his camera was nearby so he could capture the way Will's blush fanned out across his cheeks. The way his eyelashes swept against his skin with his eyes closed. He wanted photographic proof of how beautiful Will was in this moment.

Slowly opening his eyes Will asked Alex, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Cradling Will's face Alex answered, "Just realizing how much I love you."

Smiling Will said, "I think you realized that a long time ago."

"I did, yeah," Alex nodded, "But this feels different. Bigger."

Will played with the strands of light brown hair on the back of Alex's head, "What does it feel like?"

"I don't know," Alex responded a bit desperately. "I just know that I don't ever want you to go." Alex pulled Will into another kiss mouth working frantically against Will's, grip on his face almost painful.

Will made a sound in the back of his throat and eased himself away from Alex. Taking Alex's hand in his own and working his jaw Will kissed Alex softly one more time.

Alex closed his eyes tightly before resting his head on Will's chest and holding him firmly.

Will smoothed down Alex's ruffled hair and closed his eyes as well. He knew that Alex was taking the situation with Adrienne and Sonny much harder it seemed than he was.

Eyes still closed Alex mumbled against Will's chest, "I hate the way they talk to you."

Will shrugged, jostling Alex slightly, "It's pretty much what I would have expected. I wasn't surprised by anything I heard."

"Why doesn't it bother you more," Alex wondered, "Why don't they bother you?"

"It used to," Will confessed, fingers combing through Alex's hair. "It used to make me feel awful and small. But they don't matter anymore. What they say doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is our family."

Alex tried to hold in a smile and squeezed Will once before sitting back up. "Our family, huh," he smirked at Will.

"Uh huh," Will nodded as he took his tank top off. "Got a problem with that?"

"Nope," Alex slid his hands up and down Will's chest and panted against his lips. "Definitely not."

* * *

Author's note:

It didn't take me months this time. Whew.

Please review and let me know what you thought. I didn't really focus on how exactly Sonny was feeling mostly because it's very chaotic and I don't think he even knows. What would you like to see happen next?

Thanks for reading!

Also for anyone curious if I had to pick an actor to represent the characters Alex would be a younger, lighter haired version of Matt Bomer. And the twins would be someone dopey looking like Dylan O'Brien.

PS I was watching some super old clips I found with Alex as a baby and Victor wanted to marry his mom and raise Alex as his heir. How weird would that have been? The only reason it didn't pan out though was Justin refused to have his son raised by his evil uncle. How times have changed.


	4. Chapter 4

Warning for brief mention of an abortion

* * *

Will pushed the key card in the hotel room door quickly, Alex's wandering fingers tracing up and down the front of his pants. Pushing the door open Will barely had time to take in the expensive looking furniture before Alex turned him around and slammed him against the door.

"That was the longest car ride of our lives," Alex complained, tossing their bags to the side, as he started to unbutton Will's shirt. "Why couldn't we have flown?"

"I'm afraid of heights," Will gasped as Alex gave up on the buttons and ripped the rest of his shirt open.

"I keep telling you, you wouldn't have time to be afraid if I could shove you into the bathroom," Alex's hands started mapping Will's chest and sides, fingers connecting all the faded marks he'd left on Will's skin.

"You couldn't fuck me the whole time," Will closed his eyes, loving the gentle pressure being applied to his bruises. "Besides, you were more than satisfied when we crossed into Nevada and I blew you."

"Gave that bus beside us a nice view too," Alex smirked briefly. Lifting one hand to grasp Will's chin Alex thumbed across Will's bottom lip, "And as perfect as your mouth is I want something else right now."

"Don't you have to go set up your display?" Will asked through a wide smile, following after Alex towards the bed. "You still haven't even shown me the pictures you're using."

"I've got you completely to myself for the next three days and I'm not going to waste it," Alex felt his knees hitting the edge of the bed. "The gallery can wait. I can't."

Will, pushing Alex carefully on the bed, smiled brightly as he crawled over him, "Then I guess we better make the most of it."

* * *

Skin sticking together, chests heaving Will, fingers running up and down Alex's chest, played one of his and Alex's favorite games, "What if I stayed in Switzerland with Austin and Carrie?"

"Hmm," Alex, eyes closed, thought for a moment, "I would have found you in a bar."

"I'd pretend I couldn't speak English because you'd intimidate me so badly," Will added smiling at the scenario.

"I wouldn't care," Alex pressed, "I'd tell you everything I wanted to do to you and watch your skin turn that red color it gets and figure out you were lying."

"OK," Will laughed and bit his lip before saying quietly, "What if you moved back to Salem when your dad and Adrienne did?"

Alex tightened his hold on Will's hip, "After you slept with Gabi you would have run into me and I'd put any questions you had about being gay to rest."

"That was an awfully quick answer," Will noted in surprise.

"I've thought about it a lot," Alex admitted.

"OK," Will licked his lips, "What would have happened after that?"

"I would have been afraid of my feelings for you then," Alex rushed out quickly, "So you would have ended up with Sonny."

Will's eyebrows rose in surprise, "Oh yeah?"

"Yep," Alex kneaded Will's hip, "And when everyone found out Gabi was pregnant I would have been there for you. Because seeing you with _him_ would have driven me crazy. And I would have seen my chance and taken it."

"I would have liked that," Will sighed kissing Alex's chest knowing what that would have meant to Alex. '_He really is sentimental.'_

"And you never would have had to deal with that idiot cousin of yours causing problems," Alex told Will firmly. "I never would have let that happen."

Will smiled, just imagining Nick anywhere near Alex, "That would have saved me a lot of trouble."

The two sat in comfortable silence, minds playing out the possibilities. Will wondered about Alex's fear that he wouldn't have been able to handle having feelings for Will if they had met any other time in their lives. Then he remembered the conversation he had with Alex before things started getting so serious with them.

"_Have you always lived in California?" Will asked Alex as he lay plastered to Alex's side. _

"_Oh god no," Alex laughed hand running up and down Will's back, "I've lived everywhere. What about you?" _

"_No," Will sighed, looking around the room slightly, "I grew up in a small town. For a while I lived in another country with my uncle but not for long." _

"_Why did you move here then?" Alex wondered. '_Wow_,' Alex thought feeling a bit uncomfortable, _'I actually care.'

"_A lot of reasons," Will said evasively. '_No, stop it. You have to be honest. If you're not honest now it will all blow up in your face later. At least if he decides to hate you it won't hurt as much now_.' _

"_Actually," Will cleared his throat, "The main reason is because I got divorced." _

_Alex wrinkled his eyebrows and pursed his lips, "Huh. You're like what? Fifteen? How are you divorced?" _

_Will smacked Alex's chest lightly, "I got married when I was young and it didn't pan out the way it was supposed to." _

"_Why did you get divorced?" Alex questioned finding himself curious. He wanted to know everything there was about Will and he didn't understand why. _

"_A lot of reasons," Will supplied, closing his eyes, '_He's going to hate me too_.' "But the biggest ones are probably that I cheated on him, twice." _

_Alex stared up at the ceiling a few times trying to process what he was told. '_I did not see that coming_.' "Alright," Alex nodded, "What are the other reasons?" _

"_What?" Will sat up slightly so he could see Alex's face. _

"_You said cheating was one reason what are the other ones," Alex shrugged. Seeing the confused, wide eyed, insecure look on Will's face Alex pushed him back down against his side, "So you cheated on him. I'm sure if I told you about my past you'd run screaming the other way." _

"_I doubt there's anything you could have done that beats me," Will challenged. '_You didn't grow up in Salem.'

"_OK," Alex smirked, "When I was 19 I got arrested for possession of pot." _

"_When I was around that age I got arrested because they thought I murdered someone," Will countered with not knowing why he was telling Alex all of this. _'God he's going to leave you and know every one of your secrets. Stop talking.'

_Alex smiled feeling slightly impressed. "Alright, when I was 14 I told my parents I was going to a summer program when in reality I was trying to hunt down my real mother by going from country to country for two months by myself looking for her." _

_Will squeezed Alex's hip slightly. He knew how strained Alex's home life was, how he never felt like he belonged with his step-mother. '_And holy crap really_?'_

"_That's a good one and a little scary and it definitely explains a lot about you," Will conceded, "But when I was 14 I literally shot my step-father in the back." _

"_You did not," Alex laughed, "There's no way." _

"_I did," Will argued, voice getting animated, "That's why I had to live with my uncle." _

"_Is this the step-father that's dead now?" Alex asked remembering every detail Will ever told him about his family life. _

"_Yeah, someone else shot him that time though," Will clarified. "You got anything else for me?" _

"_When I was a senior," Alex smirked, recalling the memory, "I had sex with one of my brother's girlfriends." _

_Will huffed a laugh against Alex's chest, "Did he ever find out?" _

"_I told him after he broke up with her when he found a different girl," Alex shrugged, "And he didn't talk to me for a few days after I told him but I thought of that as a reward so." _

"_You're kind of awful," Will admitted with a small smile. _

_Alex dragged his hand up to Will's hair, "So now that you know I'm not perfect, shocking I know," he ignored Will's snort, "Tell me what the other reasons were." _

_Will, tracing circles on Alex's chest, lamented, "I met him before I came out. I really struggled and hated myself then. He was there for me. He was the first guy I was ever with." _

"_So you married him?" Alex guessed feeling odd hearing this. He felt something clawing at his insides, some horrible emotion he'd never felt before taking over. _

_Will nodded, "I got this job opportunity in LA. He encouraged me to go." _

"_And that's where you met someone else," Alex figured as much. _

"_It was this other writer," Will confessed with a long-suffering sigh. "He made me feel good about myself but he was just using me. I got fired and went back home." _

"_That was one time," Alex reminded Will after a few moments of silence, "What about the next one?" _

_Will rolled his eyes, "Practically the same thing. I apparently was starved for attention or compliments or praise. I don't know. I spent all my time with him and neglected my husband. I just remember he made me feel like I was special. That at least someone thought I was, for a while." _

"_Why didn't you think that before?" Alex didn't understand._

"_Everyone always told me how I wasn't good enough for him," Will's voice got quiet and small. "His mom in particular. Even before we started dating she let me know. And I was doing this project on the guy. He was going to be my big story, right? And I told you about how I struggled with my writing before. I was always writing the wrong thing or doing something wrong. I thought I finally had something right. It doesn't excuse what I did. I know that and I never should have done it." _

"_So he found out and you got divorced," Alex hated hearing Will sound like that. Hated anything that could make him sound unsure of himself and small. '_How could anyone think he wasn't good enough_?' _

"_No," Will closed his eyes, burying his nose against Alex's skin, "The second guy he was my husband's ex that I never knew about. And I realized that everything I thought I had wasn't real." _

"_What does that mean?" Alex wasn't sure he was following. _

"_They only broke up because he wouldn't come out of the closet. And I realized that every moment of our relationship was different. Everything had changed for me. I couldn't get passed the idea that he was just using me as a placeholder for someone else. He made me feel like I wasn't good enough, like I didn't matter. And I didn't know how to deal with that so I just made stupid mistake after stupid mistake. No one forced me to do anything though. It was all me." _

_Alex's face twisted, "Who would be dumb enough to not see how good you are?" _

"_Oh yeah," Will choked out a laugh, "I'm a real catch." _

"_You are," Alex insisted getting upset. _

"_Since I'm being honest I might as well tell you everything," Will knew it wouldn't matter anyway. "The reason I never let you come over or spend the whole night with you? It's because I have a daughter. She's three." _

_Alex felt his mouth open slightly, mind whirling, not sure what to do. _

"_When I was struggling with my sexuality I wanted to prove that I wasn't gay," Will informed Alex, positive that out of everything that he told him tonight, this was going to be what made him leave. '_Alex isn't the type for kids or relationships or settling down.'

"_So I slept with one of my friends and she of course got pregnant. And my daughter is the best and brightest thing in my life but she wasn't a complete surprise," Will disclosed. "So there you go. I'm a divorced, cheating single father who lives with his mother. When I'm done here you'll have to get in line with all the others who are vying at the chance to be with me." _

_Alex stayed silent as he breathed heavily through his nose. '_Divorced I can handle. A kid? I'm not so sure.'_ Alex was tempted to push Will off of him and tell him to get dressed. To tell Will his goodbyes and never see him again. But something was holding Alex back. _

_Maybe it was the new sensation he felt clawing away at his stomach, feeling like it was crawling up his throat whenever he thought about Will with someone else. Hearing that tone in Will's voice made him want to hold Will tightly, shield him. '_I've never felt anything like this before_,' Alex closed his eyes and sneered. '_This isn't who I am. I don't get attached. I'm not protective or jealous_.' _

_When Alex didn't say anything Will pressed his lips together and rolled out from under his arm. He knew it was coming. Alex was only supposed to be a bit of fun. Something to make him feel alive again. It was never supposed to be this. Never was he supposed to reveal all his secrets and feel anything like this. _

'Get real Horton_,' Will thought to himself as he sat on the edge of the bed looking for his clothes. '_Someone like Alex would never want anyone like you. When has anyone ever wanted you for more than sex?_' Just as Will went to stand up he felt a large, strong hand on his arm pulling him back down. _

_Will struggled against Alex's grip for a few moments until Alex wrapped both his arms around Will and dragged him until Will's back was to Alex's chest. "I wasn't entirely honest earlier and I've never told anyone this before," Alex said into Will's ear, "But I think I should tell you." _

_Alex closed his eyes and focused, _'I can't believe I'm doing this_.' "When I was in my first year of high school there was this girl I liked. Liked, mind you, not loved. And I got her pregnant." _

_Will stopped fighting against Alex and slumped against him, '_Oh._' _

"_And we didn't know what to do," Alex continued, "So she terminated it. I told her it was her decision. I knew there was no way we would have been able to handle it. After that, that's when I started acting out a lot. Doing everything I could to upset my parents, sleeping around, messing with some drugs and alcohol. I was probably just trying to deal with everything I don't know. Combine that with my fucked up home life and I was a recipe for disaster. Her getting pregnant was a mistake but I don't think what happened after was. But I never told anyone that before." _

"_Except for now," Will whispered while swallowing heavily knowing how much it must have taken for Alex to admit that._

"_Yeah," Alex rested his chin on Will's shoulder. "If I would have met you at any other time in my life I would have fucked you a few times and gotten bored. But for whatever reason, since that night I saw you, there's been this thing attacking my insides and it keeps calling your name." _

"_Maybe I'll take one look at your kid and run the other direction," Alex shrugged, "I don't know how everything is going to work out. I know you've made mistakes and so have I. But if you'd let me I'd like to try, you know, being with you." _

_Will bit his lip tightly, trying not to smile, trying not to get his hopes up. Turning in Alex's arms Will looked at his dark blue eyes, "For the record referring to your feelings for me as a parasite is not romantic." _

"_Whatever," Alex cupped Will's face, "But just so you know," Alex dipped his eyes towards Will's mouth, "It doesn't matter to me that you shot anyone, that your mom lied to you about who your dad was," Alex smiled when he noticed Will's surprised face that he remembered, "That you cheated on your husband or that you have a kid I'd still beat down every other guy lining up for you to make sure you were all mine." _

"Where did you go?" Alex questioned when Will didn't respond to him.

"Oh," Will shook himself out of it, "Sorry, just thinking about you and me."

"Were you thinking about how sexy you are?" Alex asked seriously, hand rubbing up and down Will's skin, "Because that's what I was thinking about."

"No," Will laughed. Will had noticed that ever since that conversation Alex complimented him more, on his looks, on his writing, on everything. Will suspected it had something to do with his confession but Will never once doubted Alex's sincerity. In fact he loved him even more for it.

"We need to get dressed," Will sat up, stretching his arms over his head, "And I need to call my mom and check on Ari."

* * *

"You look like an overgrown child," Alex rolled his eyes fondly as he pulled Will out of the elevator and into the casino.

"I've never been to Vegas before," Will defended while smiling widely at everything he was seeing. The sound of the slot machines dinging and the music over the radio, '_Even the oddly patterned carpets aren't so bad_,' Will thought as he felt Alex's arm around his waist.

"You're kind of adorable," Alex smiled as he slid his hand from the small of Will's back, over the curve of his ass and into Will's back pocket.

"I'm adorable," Will elbowed Alex slightly, "I know exactly why you picked this hotel over all the others."

"Please," Alex looked everywhere but at the knowing expression on Will's face, "I picked it because it's a five-diamond hotel and nothing else."

"Uh huh," Will put his head on Alex's shoulder, "Sure it is. I guess the name had nothing to do with it then."

"Ari and Aria do not sound anything alike," Alex said nose turned up in the air, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You miss her," Will teased with a wide grin, "You wish she came with us."

"I most certainly do not," Alex scoffed. "Please? What would she even do with us here? I've got big plans."

"Mmm hmm, sure," Will lifted his head up and looked around as they walked outside into the hot desert air.

* * *

"It's so much nicer being in a pool you don't have to clean yourself," Will sighed as he relaxed against Alex's chest, aviator sunglasses snug on his face, warm sun beating down on his skin.

"That's true," Alex agreed, resting the side of his face against Will's hair. "It's also nice to not hear any high pitched squeals."

Hearing a group of females start giggling nearby Will chuckled, "Well not our high pitched squeal." Will glanced over at the group and saw them all staring in his and Alex's direction. Closing his eyes again Will wondered if they were staring at Alex or him or the both of them together.

"What time is the art exhibit opening tonight?" Will asked as he licked his lips pondering if he needed more sunblock.

"Around eight," Alex shrugged. "I think I need to get there by seven though. Are you going to stay with me the whole time or go explore?"

"I think I'll explore a bit if that's cool," Will wanted to see as much of Las Vegas as he could. He'd never been in a place that was so crowded yet so small before. "And you won't even give me a hint about the pictures? Not even which model?"

"No hints," Alex bit his lip, "You'll see soon enough." '_And hopefully won't kill me_.'

Will pulled away from Alex, dipping further into the cool water for a moment, before pressing himself against Alex and wrapping his arms around his neck. "Well, I'm sure whatever pictures you used are going to be amazing."

"Oh they are," Alex bragged hands dragging up and down Will's dripping wet back, "I know they are."

Will smiled before angling his head and kissing Alex wetly. He didn't care that they were in a public pool in the middle of the day. He didn't care that anyone could see them. This was the first time they had ever gone away together without Ari and Alex was right. They needed to make the most of it.

Gasping when Alex started kissing along his neck Will opened his eyes and startled slightly. "Alex," Will whispered, "Did you tell anyone that we were coming here?"

"Seriously," Alex pulled away from Will, "You want to talk now?"

"Well I'm just wondering why Joey is coming this way," Will stated giving Alex an unimpressed look.

Alex, holding onto Will's hips firmly, turned from his spot leaning against the wall. "You have got to be fucking kidding me," Alex groaned.

"You are dead," Alex warned Joey when he waltzed over to them with a big grin on his face, "You are so dead."

"Wow," Joey proclaimed loudly, "This is such a coincidence. Who knew you two were going to be here as well this weekend." Smacking his hand against his thigh Joey laughed, "This is like fate."

"You knew," Alex hissed, "You knew we were going to be here you little pain in the ass."

Will looked at Joey suspiciously. He didn't like that nervous expression on his face or the too loud volume of his voice, "What did you do?"

"Well," Joey sat down on the edge of the pool, kicking off his sandals and slipping his feet in the water, "It's a good thing the whole family is here otherwise it wouldn't be much of a wedding."

Will looked quickly behind Joey and inhaled sharply as he saw the parade of family members walking around the pool area oohing and awing.

"Ha, ha," Joey laughed weakly as he saw the angry expression on Will and Alex's faces, "Please don't kill me."

* * *

Will and Alex sat across from Joey under a cabana with their arms crossed.

"Well what was I supposed to do," Joey cracked, "They planned on getting married here. Alex told me you guys would be here. I just made a suggestion about the day and they all agreed."

"Did it ever occur to you that we didn't want to see them get married?" Will asked with a shrug. He never anticipated seeing his dad marry Adrienne. At most he thought he would get a few pictures from his Grandma Kate, the only person in Salem he still talked to.

"Not really no," Joey admitted. "But look I figured being surrounded by so much alcohol and debauchery would lessen the blow. I mean this is like Alex's idea of a playground. Besides I'm in charge of the bachelor party tonight and I knew Alex could tell me the best strip clubs."

Will wrinkled his nose, "I don't want anything to do with my father and strippers. What is wrong with you?"

"There's bound to be a coed one somewhere," Joey looked to Alex for help, "No hints? OK, well I still need to plan something. I think the girls are going to the Chippendale show."

"Did Adrienne drop you on the head as a child?" Alex looked at Joey blankly.

Joey pressed his lips together, "No."

"My dad dropped me," Will commented. Seeing the looks they were giving him he added, "He did."

"I'll buy you all the booze you can drink," Joey smiled charmingly. "Come on, it's just tonight and the wedding's tomorrow. You guys can make it through this."

Will looked over at the group of people he recognized. He was prepared to never see any of these people again. _'Yet again here I am without any warning being forced to see the people I left behind_.'

Alex squeezed Will's thigh, wanting to throttle his stupid brother. "Did it ever occur to you that there was a reason we didn't know about this stupid wedding?"

"Again," Joey shook his head, "No." '_Are they aware they use the same speech patterns now_?'

Will watched as his father walked around the outside area with Adrienne on his arm, Jennifer and Abagail laughing behind them as well as John with Marlena on his arm pointing at all of the sights_. 'I guess the bright side is the majority of the people in that town that really hate me won't be here,_' Will supposed. Seeing Sonny, Paul and Vic walking a bit slower in the back Will frowned, '_Or it will be completely horrible.'_

"There's only one way we're getting through this," Will told Joey looking at him seriously at least hoping his Grandma Kate was going to be here.

Alex, seeing Sonny and who he assumed to be Paul, rolled his eyes, hand clamping harder on Will's thigh.

"What's that?" Joey wondered feeling a bit apprehensive.

* * *

Will giggled loudly, nose pressed into Alex's cheek as Alex pulled Will onto his lap in the nearby hot tub.

"You are such a light weight," Alex smiled at Will's slightly pink cheeks from their first pitcher of margaritas_. 'I think Will pretty much stuck a straw in it and sucked the whole thing down himself_.'

"Sorry," Will smiled, slipping along Alex's lap, "It went straight to my head."

"We need to get some food in you," Joey commented as he shook his head.

"I know what else I need in me," Will said licking along Alex's jawline.

"Wow," Joey held his hands up, "I don't know how I'm supposed to take that. Because technically by this time tomorrow Will's going to be my baby brother and Alex is my big brother. This is getting weird now. I think I should break this up."

"You're ruining my mood," Alex spat at Joey over his shoulder. "Go away before you attract any of the others."

"You're gonna have to see them sometime," Joey shrugged laughing at Will's wandering hands.

"No," Will shook his head feeling a bit lightheaded, "Just bring everyone over now. We can all sit here and reminisce about the good old days."

"When you were married to Sonny," Joey quipped with a grin.

"I was thinking more like when Paul fucked me," Will shot back, "But sure whatever."

Joey couldn't help but burst into laughter. He was still getting to know Will and with each new bit he learned he was starting to really like him. He felt a bit sorry that he was laughing about Sonny getting cheated on but after the awkward encounter he witnessed back in California Joey didn't feel that bad about it.

Alex swatted Will on the butt, "You should just take Joey and Vic out for a spin and complete the set."

"Ooh," Will puckered his lips, "That can be my wedding gift to Adrienne. Telling her I've had all of her children. That would make all her dreams come true."

"Hey now," Joey held his hands up, "You're barking up the wrong tree here. Vic's the one that watches gay porn."

"Quit telling people that," Vic groaned as he walked over to his brother and overheard his conversation. Glancing down and realizing who Joey was talking to Vic sighed, "Well there went that drama free wedding mom was wanting."

* * *

Joey, sipping on a margarita of his own while sitting in the hot tub, laughed as he watched Alex rub sunblock on Will's shoulders as Will told him about Ari's first soccer match. Vic, after throwing a fit, went off to keep everyone away from the hot tubs.

"And then this idiot," Will said unnaturally loud thumb pointing at Alex, "Starts screaming and yelling about Ari getting tripped when she clearly fell over her own feet. She's my daughter, of course she did. Anyway so Alex is ranting like an idiot which gets Ari going too and I was trying to get them both to knock it off because I just wanted to leave and go to the damn pizza party."

"Oh my god," Joey snorted at Alex, "You're a total parent."

"You take that back," Alex tossed the bottle of sunblock at Joey's face, smirking when it bounced off his ear and flopped onto the decking.

"I heard him call her princess the other day," Will divulged in a mock whisper.

Alex put his hand over Will's face, "I think you need to reapply your face too."

Laughing Will wiggled away from Alex's hand and turned around, "You know I love it when you do that stuff."

"Wipe stuff on your face?" Alex said rationally, "Trust me, I know."

"No," Will smiled adoringly, alcohol making him emotional, "How much you care about her. You love her." Will pressed his nose against Alex's.

"Uh huh, right," Alex dismissed before grabbing the back of Will's head and kissing him.

Joey looked around the hot tub to see if anyone else was around. "Well this is uncomfortable," Joey pronounced out loud when he didn't see anyone. "I really should find a girlfriend. Alex probably wouldn't even sleep with her this time."

Alex flipped off Joey before pulling Will tighter against him.

"Oh real mature," Joey mocked in a horrible impersonation of Alex, "I'm Alex and I'm stupidly in love and I get to make out in hot tubs on vacation with my sexy young boyfriend. I don't care at all about traumatizing my baby brother."

"Joey?" Adrienne asked as her and Lucas walked by, somehow evading Vic, "Why are you talking to yourself?"

"Uh," Joey put his drink down and turned to face his mother. With a wide grin Joey said, "Mommy! Do you love it here?"

"Yes," Adrienne looked at her son suspiciously before really examining the intertwined couple next to him. The couple that looked entirely too familiar. "Alex? Will?"

Alex mumbled, "Fuck," against Will's lips before they detached and looked at Adrienne and Lucas.

"Will," Lucas looked at him in shock, "What, what are you two doing here?"

"Well," Will rubbed his kiss swollen lips with his fingers, "That would be Joey's fault."

Joey gave his mother another wide smile and leaned his head against her leg, "I love you so much."

* * *

Will and Alex sat in the hot tub, holding hands, while Lucas and Adrienne sat across from them feet dipped into the water. No one really knew what to say after Joey explained his involvement. '_What the hell do you say after the last time we were all together_,' Will wondered recalling that awful night the month before.

"Where's Ari?" Adrienne wondered quietly looking around the pool area hoping to see her. She was so focused on Alex and Will that day that she never gave much thought to Ari. '_She's always going to be my first grandbaby,_' Adrienne thought wistfully.

"With my mom," Will told them trying to focus despite the tequila and the bright sun making it difficult.

Alex, practically crushing Will's hand, relented when he saw they wanted more of an explanation, "We're here for an art showing."

"You're gonna be in a show?" Adrienne questioned softly knowing how hard Alex worked on his photographs_. 'And I never gave his art as much praise or thought as I did the other boy's ambitions, did I?'_

"Yes," Alex replied in a gruff tone leaving no other room for questions or comments.

Lucas, putting his hand on top of Adrienne's, cleared his throat, "I know that we left things off in a bad way last month but I hope we can put that aside for this weekend. The two of us," Lucas gestured between himself and Adrienne, "Don't want anything causing any disruptions regarding our wedding."

"Then you shouldn't have let Joey be in charge of your bachelor party," Alex responded with a smirk.

"We aren't going to ruin your wedding if that's what you're thinking," Will rolled his eyes. "We're here for Alex's exhibit. That's it. We didn't even know you'd be here. And contrary to popular belief we don't care that you're getting married. In fact, I'm happy if you're happy. If you're happy and in love you should be together."

Adrienne took a deep breath. She had been thinking nonstop about Alex since that night in California. She replayed the words he told her over and over again in her mind_. 'How can he not care about me at all_,' Adrienne agonized time and time again. _'Did I really treat him that differently? Did I resent him so much that I turned him away from me?' _

'_But maybe them being here is a sign_,' Adrienne couldn't help but think. '_Maybe it's proof that we can all work everything out.' _

"I would like you to be there tomorrow," Adrienne confessed, tone as heartfelt and earnest as she could get it, "I want the two of you to come to our wedding."

Alex lifted one eyebrow glancing at Adrienne suspiciously. "Why?" he questioned.

"Because you're my son," Adrienne answered in a small voice. "And I want you there with me."

Before Alex could open his big mouth Will squeezed his hand firmly. Will knew that Alex had major issues with Adrienne, and everyone in the world knew so did he, but he didn't want to ruin her wedding. '_Her wedding to my dad,_' Will thought feeling a little bit grossed out. Will hoped Alex would at least let the two of them talk about it instead of flat out saying no.

Alex rolled his eyes, "What time does this thing start?"

* * *

"Finally," Alex complained as Adrienne and Lucas left, "I thought we'd never be alone." Alex dragged Will back onto his lap, not wanting to think about Adrienne for another second.

Will smiled before wrapping his arms around Alex's neck and kissing him soundly, moaning a bit when he felt Alex's fingertips dipping into the waistband of his swim trunks.

"I brought more booze," Joey announced loudly as he stepped into the hot tub with another pitcher of margaritas and three glasses. "This time it's strawberry. Oh and a few extra brothers too."

Will contemplated moving away from Alex when he heard a few sputtering sounds behind him but decided against it. '_This is my vacation and I'm going to enjoy it Kiriakis family be damned_.'

Vic stomped into the hot tub, glaring at Joey heatedly. _'Alex went back to his room my ass_.'

"What?" Paul tried to say something coherent but couldn't. His face twisted in confusion. He hadn't seen Will in so long he almost didn't recognize him. He had no idea Will was going to be at the wedding but now Paul realized how stupid that was. '_His own father is the groom of course he'd be here. Although I think we could all do without the display_.'

Paul looked away from Will and frowned sitting down in the water uncomfortably. Paul had hoped that after all this time Will would have been able to move on with his life. That once he realized Sonny wasn't going to be chasing after him Will would get over Sonny. '_I won Sonny in the end. But Will's seriously doing this here, in front of all of us. Does he really think making out with his boyfriend is going to make Sonny jealous? Hasn't he grown up at all?' _

"You cannot be serious right now," Sonny practically spat at his brother and Will staring at them with open contempt. "You're in public for god's sake." '_Why are they here? I don't want them to be here_.'

Alex, planning to punch Joey later for this, pecked Will's lips a few more times, lingering slightly, before pulling away. "In public in Vegas so it doesn't count. We were alone until you assholes came over here anyway. Find your own hot tub."

"All the other ones are full," Joey said cheerfully, sucking down his drink quickly. '_Best to get this out of the way now before the wedding.'_

"Probably something to do with how you two are the only ones pawing each other," Vic replied dryly.

Will looked around at the other hot tubs knowing that couldn't be true. He shrugged, turning so he was sitting sideways on Alex's lap, arm around his neck, "You guys are the only ones complaining."

Paul looked between Will and his boyfriend curiously. _'Why the hell does everyone seem so buddy-buddy?' _

"What the hell are you doing here anyway?" Sonny demanded arms crossed over his chest, refusing to acknowledge the way he suddenly felt sick to his stomach, "I know they didn't invite you."

Will smiled proudly as he answered, alcohol making him talkative, "Alex's photos are gonna be in a special one night only exhibit tonight at the Bellagio Art Gallery."

Turning to face everyone else in the hot tub Will immediately noted the confused look on Paul's face. Not giving him much thought at the moment Will relaxed against Alex and smiled to himself, _'Alex's abs are so much better than Paul's. Ha!'_

Alex sighed, hand splayed against Will's firm stomach, "You didn't need to tell them that."

"Yes I did," Will waved away his complaints. Alex always hated when Will fussed over his art but deep down Will knew he loved it. He knew that no one was ever very supportive of Alex before. "They personally invited him," Will grinned widely.

"Wow," Vic smiled at Alex, knowing how big of a deal this was for him, "That's awesome, Alex. Congratulations."

"Yeah, yeah," Alex tried as hard as he could not to smile.

"Speaking of," Will said, "We should probably go get ready if we want to make our dinner reservations and get to the exhibit on time. Plus I need time to sober up."

Alex nodded, "Anything to not be here." He had shown a remarkable amount of self-control not looking at or saying anything to Sonny or Paul. '_Good thing Will guzzled all the tequila_.'

Will climbed out of the hot tub, feeling a bit wobbly, as he grabbed the towels he had for him and Alex. Handing one to Alex Will started drying his chest and back laughing when Alex used his own towel to dry Will's hair.

"So I'll let you know about the bachelor party," Joey observed Will and Alex with a small smile. "And you seriously have no suggestions for strip clubs?"

Alex rolled his eyes, "That you're gonna need to figure out on your own. Oh and by the way," Alex walked over to Joey and punched him as hard as he could in the arm. "That's for ruining my weekend."

Joey made a pained face and rubbed his arm, "Excuse me for wanting my oldest and youngest brothers here."

"You're not excused," Alex informed him before grabbing his room key and the bottle of sunblock and dragging Will away. "And quit calling him that, it creeps me out."

"It's gonna take forever to get your hair the way I like it," Will, head on Alex's shoulder, reached up and started messing with Alex's dark locks.

"No," Alex slapped his hand away, "You aren't touching my hair. You always make me look like I should be in Happy Days."

Paul watched the two of them walking away feeling like he was missing something. '_Will Horton looked at me sitting next to Sonny in a hot tub and he didn't even react. He didn't care at all. Will Horton of all people.'_

"What was that?" Paul asked breaking the awkward silence surrounding them looking between Sonny and his brothers in confusion.

"That would be Will," Joey commented, already on his second strawberry margarita, "I'm pretty sure you know him. Intimately from what I've been told."

Vic gave Sonny a pointed look setting his jaw when he saw Sonny look away from him quickly. '_God this weekend is going to be awful.' _

"Will's dating Alex," Vic informed Paul who was looking at Joey like he had lost his mind. Vic liked the guy he really did but at the moment Vic wasn't sure he liked any of his brothers. Reaching over Joey, Vic grabbed one of the empty glasses and poured himself a drink, "As in Alex our brother." '_I'm gonna need this.'_

"Wha-when did you all find that out?" Paul questioned carefully looking at Sonny. '_Why didn't he tell me?'_

"This is even more awkward than when Alex and Will were making out," Joey remarked before clanking his glass against Vic's.

* * *

Will bounced back and forth on his toes as he stood next to Alex. "When are you going to pull open the curtain?" Will questioned as he tried to peak under it.

"Stop that," Alex hissed, nervously adjusting the blazer he was wearing. He knew his photos were good; great even but there were going to be a lot of critics walking around looking at his display. '_God, did I put them in the right order? Maybe I should have started backwards.' _

"Hey," Will put his hand on Alex's shoulders and licked his lips, trying not to blind Alex with his smile. "This is going to be so good."

"You haven't even seen which ones I'm using," Alex tried to argue, shaking his head.

"I've loved every single one of your pictures," Will remind Alex, "Even the ones that make me blush. So I know that for something like this you're gonna use the ones you think are the best."

"I did," Alex nodded, "I just hope you don't kill me for it."

Will blinked a few times, "What does that mean?"

"Play our game with me," Alex requested quickly, "Please."

Will looked at him strangely but shrugged, "OK. What if I came to this show, tonight, and met you?"

"I would grab your hand," Alex laced his fingers with Will's, "And try to distract you from what the curator is saying." Alex pressed his nose against the back of Will's ear, "Tell you how nice you look in these pants," Alex's other hand snuck down to Will's ass, "And I'd turn you around and show you my photos."

Alex, when he saw the other artists pulling open their curtains, did the same. Turning Will around Alex braced himself for whatever fallout was coming his way.

Will squeezed Alex's hand. He knew how hard Alex worked on his photography. How many hours he spent getting everything just right. He couldn't wait to see exactly which pictures he had chosen.

Walking around the small space Will took in the first picture, the angles and the shading. Everything that Alex taught him to look for. Recognizing the model, Will was beginning to feel a little bit less excited about the exhibit.

"Alex," Will said in a careful voice staring at the picture.

"Yes," Alex answered, knowing what was coming.

"Are these pictures of me," Will turned to face his boyfriend and glared at him.

"…Yes," Alex lifted his hands to Will's shoulders, "I knew I needed to use my best ones and yours-"

"I told you I didn't want anyone to see those," Will took a step away from Alex. "You said you wouldn't use them. You promised me."

"I know," Alex tried to explain, "But-"

"I-I need to not be here right now," Will looked around the walls at the various pictures of his body and said, "I'll be back in a little bit."

"Will," Alex called out wanting to run after him when one of the art directors came over to his exhibit. '_Fuck_,' Alex thought to himself.

* * *

Will sat down at a bar downstairs in the casino after walking around for a few minutes. Will ordered another margarita, figuring he should at least stick to one type of alcohol. Thanking the bartender Will took a large gulp trying to figure out what he was going to do about Alex and the photos. Closing his eyes Will remembered exactly how Alex convinced him to take them.

_Will watched Alex as he looked over the pictures he had taken that day. Will thought they all looked amazing but Alex would sneer or frown at some before deleting them automatically. Will didn't want to disrupt Alex with annoying questions so he went back to focusing on his article. _

_When Alex was done looking through everything he went to put his camera away, ready to be done for the night, when he looked over at Will and paused. With the way the sunlight was streaming in through the blinds Will looked almost ethereal. As Will focused on typing Alex pulled the cover off his camera lens and started taking pictures. _

_Stopping in the middle of a sentence Will looked up at Alex, blushing slightly when he saw the camera pointed at him, "What are you doing?" _

"_Shooting," Alex replied easily. "You look perfect like this." _

"_Alex," Will complained softly, looking down at the comforter of his bed, biting his lip. _

"_I might not know about writing," Alex explained, "Or about parenting or how to be a boyfriend but I know how to take pictures. And you right now? You need to be a picture." _

"_My mom and the kids are going to be home soon," Will tried to say but he knew that wouldn't deter Alex. Saving his document Will closed his laptop and put it on his nightstand. Licking his lips nervously Will said, "What do you want me to do?" _

"_Take off your shirt," Alex ordered, feeling his heartrate pick up in a way it rarely did when he was working. _

_Will wrestled out of his shirt and tossed it to the side. "Now what?" Will blinked up at Alex's face, eyes wide and trusting. _

"_Your bottoms," Alex whispered snapping away, loving the way the delicate red of Will's cheeks reflected off the white bedding. _

"_OK," Will nodded taking them off, leaving himself completely nude. "How do you want me?" _

"_Just look at me," Alex ordered breathlessly as Will nervously clutched one of his elbows and stared at Alex._

"Excuse me?" a voice jarred Will out of his memory.

"Sorry," Will shook his head, "What was that?"

"I said you look familiar," the man smiled at Will, looking him up and down. "Were your photos in the gallery upstairs?"

Will groaned, shoulders drooping, "Yes." Will covered his hands with his face.

"I thought so," the man leered at Will, eyes lingering on the curve of his ass against the barstool. "Let me buy you a drink?"

Will turned to look at the man. Despite the dirty look in his eyes Will knew he was nice looking. But he wasn't interested. "No thank you," Will replied.

"Are you sure?" the man pressed, leaning closer against Will, "The photos were exquisite."

"Thanks," Will pressed his lips together feeling a bit unsettled.

"I didn't know nude pictures could look like that," the guy continued pressing in closer.

"Like what," Will asked as he moved away.

"You know, sensual instead of porny," the guy shrugged, "They're really good. You look really good."

"Right," Will replied, "Well I'm sorry," Will hopped off his seat and pulled out some money for his drink, "But I'm taken."

Walking away Will headed back for the direction of the gallery ignoring the man calling behind him. _'I'm not stupid and insecure anymore,_' Will told himself, '_It's gonna take more than a few compliments to get me away from my partner.'_

* * *

Alex, trying to be polite to everyone that came in, couldn't help but worry about Will. He knew he was taking a big risk using the photos he took of Will but they were his best work. He hardly had to retouch anything. _'The lighting was perfect, the setting, and the model. I just hope he'll be able to get over it_.'

"Hey," Will walked back to Alex's section looking at the pictures with a grimace. '_Does the entire world need to see me like that?' _

"That was fast," Alex noted. Usually when he and Will argued they needed at least a few hours apart before their heads were clear.

"Yeah well you made me famous," Will shot back, "So I figured I might as well come stand by them."

"I didn't mean to piss you off," Alex started saying emphatically.

"You knew I was going to be though," Will argued, "How many times have I told you I don't want anyone to see them?"

"A lot of times," Alex admitted, "But that's not the point. The point is this right here," Alex gestured to the entire display. "This set, every single one of them, is perfect. And when I got the invite to be here," Alex shrugged, "I knew these were the only ones I could use."

"And I'm sorry that I pissed you off and didn't listen to you," Alex confessed taking both of Will's hands, "But I'm not sorry that I used them, OK? Because I think everyone should see them, not just me."

Will looked into Alex's eyes, searching for something, "Don't ever do that to me again, ever."

"OK," Alex agreed voice sincere. "I won't."

Will looked over the photos once more and nibbled on his lower lip, "Perfect?" he asked softly.

"When have I ever lied to you?" Alex reminded Will exhaling loudly in relief.

"Just so you know," Will smiled at Alex slightly, "You did just show my completely naked body for everyone to see, right? Everyone."

Alex, mulling it over, looked to his left and saw a few of the people who had been looking at his display eyeing Will. Alex yanked Will against him firmly, ignoring Will's laugh, "I did not think this through all the way."

"Nope," Will chuckled, "I get to be mad at you and you get to know that every single person in this room has seen me naked."

* * *

Will, looking at the exhibit next to Alex's, tensed slightly when he heard a voice say, "Hello, stranger."

Turning around Will smiled in surprise, "Grandma Kate!"

Kate laughed when Will wrapped his arms around her and squeezed tight. "Let me look at you," Kate pulled back slightly, lifting her hands to Will's cheeks, turning his head from side to side. "California looks good on you," Kate decided.

"Thanks," Will grinned. When Will left Salem he gave no notice to anyone. Ari and he had said goodbye to Gabi and left. It had taken almost a year for him to talk to Kate again. He learned from his mother that Kate was looking for him. She was the only one looking for him. It didn't take much more encouragement than that for him to send her an email. '_And now we're here_,' Will thought as his grandma took his arm.

"Now," Kate moved closer to Will, "I know something else that looks good on you so why don't you officially introduce me."

"Grandma," Will huffed out a laugh, leading her over to Alex. Waiting for Alex to finish talking to someone Will immediately could tell Alex was getting flustered. '_Poor guy has no idea what to do when someone compliments his art. That or he doesn't know what to do when someone compliments art featuring my body.' _

"Alex?" Will reached out and grabbed his hand, "Hey," Will said, "This is my Grandma Kate."

Alex stuck out his hand, not one for hugging in greeting, "Kate nice to formally meet you."

"You as well," Kate shook his hand while looking him up and down. "I thought for sure that I got my dates wrong for this weekend. But I guess not. Do you two know about the wedding?"

"Unfortunately," Alex rolled his eyes, "Otherwise I would have picked a different hotel. But my stupid brother decided to interfere."

"Which one?" Kate shrugged having a poor view of most Kiriakis's.

Alex nodded appreciatively, "I like her," he informed Will.

Kate smiled before beginning to look at the photos on display lifting her eyebrows and snorting when she recognized the model.

Will pushed his lips out and sucked in his cheeks when he felt his grandma's eyes on him, "Don't look at me."

"What?" Kate asked, "I think they're great. Sure I could go without looking at you naked," Kate laughed when Will's cheeks turned pink, "But I can see the beauty in the set."

Alex, moving closer to Kate, started pointing out some of the details in the pictures. Hands gesturing widely as he began to get animated.

Will looked at Alex proudly. '_God I hope the critics like his pictures as much as everyone else does. He's worked so hard to get here._'

While he was waiting Will felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. Pulling it out he smiled before answering, "Hello Princess."

"Hi Daddy," Ari gushed into the phone. "Guess what? Guess what? Guess what?"

"What? What? What," Will replied stepping away from the exhibit.

"Johnny was practicing soccer with me and I scored more goals than him," Ari bragged as she bounced up and down on her bed at Grandma's house.

"That is so awesome baby girl," Will congratulated her. "What else did you do?"

Alex, keeping an eye on Will, continued explaining everything about his photos to Kate. With a groan Alex noticed some familiar faces headed his way. '_Fuck my life_.'

"And you're doing OK?" Will asked quietly, "With me being gone?"

"I guess," Ari replied in a tiny voice. "I don't know. I always have fun here but I miss you."

"I miss you too," Will confessed, voice getting a bit scratchy, "Alex and I will be home in a few days. And I told you, you can call me any time you want to."

"You promise you're going to come back?" Ari asked in a small voice. "You won't leave me here?"

"I'd never leave you. Remember the sound of your heart and what I said," Will closed his eyes, "I promised you before, it's you and me forever. Besides I would never leave you alone with Grandma forever. No one deserves that."

Ari giggled, "I'm gonna tell her you said that."

"What?" Will complained, "Traitor!" Listening to Ari's laughter Will smiled, "Did you get to talk to Mommy today?"

"Uh huh," Ari nodded, still not quite getting that her daddy couldn't see her over the phone, "She said she liked the pictures I sent."

"I knew she would but maybe next time we can include pictures of you and not just ones you took," Will suggested.

"Maaaayyybbbeee," Ari said before yawning widely.

"You go brush your teeth and pick out a story for Grandma to read," Will ordered knowing it was past her bedtime.

"OK," Ari agreed, "Daddy?"

"Yeah baby girl?" Will questioned.

"I love you," Ari proclaimed.

Grin practically taking over his face Will answered, "I love you too."

"And Daddy," Ari added after taking a deep breath, "Tell Alex I want to know where he hid my Barbie."

"Don't worry," Will's cheeks started to hurt, "He misses you too."

After hanging up Will held the phone to his chest recalling what happened the first time he tried to have just Ari spend the night with her grandma.

"_Are you sure?" Sami looked at her son as he fixed his hair in the mirror. _

"_I just," Will stopped and looked at his reflection, really looked. "I don't want Ari being confused as to why Alex is over and in my bed but he's right. It's been months and I haven't spent the whole night with him. I think it's about time." _

"_I can appreciate that," Sami crossed her arms and leaned against the bathroom door, "But Will, Ari isn't used to you being gone all night. What if she wakes up and you aren't there?" _

"_I know," Will bit his lip, beginning to wonder if this was a good idea or not, "I-I don't want to bring Alex around her when she still isn't that comfortable about it. And I don't want to be that parent that brings strangers around their kid." _

_Bristling slightly Sami said, "Did you ever think that maybe you need to stop coddling her so much?" _

"_What are you talking about?" Will demanded. _

"_You know I love her and you more than anything," Sami held up her hands peacefully, "But you can't give her everything she always wants." _

"_You were just saying that I shouldn't go," Will didn't know what his mother wanted from him, "Now you're saying I give in to her too often?" _

"_I know," Sami pinched the bridge of her nose, "I'm saying that the reason she doesn't like Alex isn't because she doesn't like him." _

"_What does that even mean?" Will was lost. _

"_It means she doesn't like him because she thinks he's taking you from her," Sami spat out getting annoyed. "You know how clingy she is with you. She thinks he is going to take you away and you'll leave her here forever. That you'll never come back again." _

"_Oh," Will uttered in a dull voice. "She thinks I'm going to abandon her?" _

"_I think so yeah," Sami reached forward and put her hand on Will's shoulder. "When you left that place," Sami knew Will didn't like to talk about that town or anyone he left there, "You said you didn't have anyone left there to support you or Ari." _

"_Not really, no," Will had told her this a hundred times. "I know deep down they probably would have been there for Ari if they had to but it didn't feel that way at the time. Everyone was so angry with me and all they ever did was lecture me when they saw me. Like I didn't have enough to deal with I needed everyone telling me how awful I was anytime I went anywhere. I already destroyed my daughter's family. I didn't need to be punished anymore." _

"_And _he_," Sami knew better than to say Sonny's name. "Was never around then?" _

"_No," Will shook his head, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. "When he moved out that was it. No visits, no calls, no texts. It was like he didn't want anything to do with her anymore." _

"_Which is why," Sami patted Will's back, "Ari needs to be reassured you love her and you aren't leaving her for Alex or for anything. Maybe in a year or two she won't even remember him but right now it's fresh in her mind. He was always there for her and then he wasn't." _

_Will knew his mother was right. He should have realized before. He could still remember the first week after _he_ moved out. Ari would cry for hours asking for him and Will didn't have any answers. Will didn't know when Ari was going to see him again. After the second week of Ari clinging to him in the middle of the night, sobbing and crying, Will didn't care if he ever saw _him_ again at all. _

_Moving away from his mother and over to Ari's room Will knocked on the door. When he heard her tiny voice answer Will smiled when he saw her on her bed surrounded by toys. During the long trip from Salem to California Will made sure all of Ari's toys were with her the entire time. He wanted her to have at least some comforting items around her as he completely uprooted her life. _

"_Are you coming to play with me?" Ari asked shaking Will out of his memories. _

"_Daddy wants to talk to you," Will closed her door behind him, moved some toys to the floor and sat on the bed. _

"_OK," Ari, holding a handful of toys, looked at her daddy with blue eyes that matched his perfectly. _

"_You remember when Daddy talked to you about telling the truth?" Will asked carefully. Seeing Ari nod Will pulled her onto his lap, "Daddy needs to tell you the truth now. I want you to know that tonight Daddy is going to go have a sleep over with his friend Alex." _

_Ari's face twisted, her eyes instantly watering, "No!" She tossed her toys aside and threw her arms around Will's neck. _

_Will swallowed carefully at her reaction, "Why does that bother you?" _

"_Don't go," Ari begged loudly practically screeching in Will's ear._

"_Why don't you want me to go?" Will asked as he held her against him and felt her tears pressing into his neck. _

"_You're gonna leave me," Ari sobbed. "Leave and not come back." _

"_That's never going to happen," Will shook his head, lifting one hand to the back of Ari's head, "Daddy is always going to come back." _

"_No," Ari clung to him harder. "Don't leave me, Daddy." _

"_I'm not leaving you," Will promised, "I'm just visiting. I'll be back in the morning." _

"_No, please, no," Ari sniffled. "Please don't leave me." _

_Fighting back his own tears Will pulled her back a little so he could see her face, "Daddy isn't going to leave you. I'm always going to come back, always. I would never leave you." _

_Hiccupping, eyes red and mouth trembling Ari looked up into her daddy's eyes, "You promise?" _

"_Of course I promise," Will cupped her tiny, round cheeks, "I love you and I'm always going to come back for you. I love you." _

"_I love you too," Ari confessed as fresh tears started sliding down her cheeks. _

_Will pulled Ari against his chest as he leaned back onto her pillows. Gently running his hands through her long blonde hair Will asked, "Do you hear that sound? Do you remember what it is?" _

"_A heart," Ari answered right away, wiping her nose on her daddy's shirt. _

"_Yep," Will licked his lips, "And do you remember what I said about who it belongs to?" _

"_Ari's heart," Ari smiled slightly as she held onto her daddy tighter. _

"_Exactly," Will continued combing his fingers through her hair, "It's all yours and every time it makes that sound, ba bum, ba bum, ba bum, it's just for you. And every time your heart makes that noise," Will reached one hand down to Ari's chest, "That's daddy telling you exactly how much I love you." _

"_Daddy?" Ari whispered as she was listening to her daddy's heart talking to her. _

"_Yeah baby girl," Will replied staring up at the ceiling. _

"_Can you have a sleepover with Alex here instead?" Ari wondered. _

_Will smiled, "I'll ask him. Does this mean you're gonna be nice to him?" _

"_I don't know," Ari yawned and asked, "Does Alex's heart make sounds just for you?" _

_Will pressed his lips together, "Maybe a tiny bit. Is that OK?" _

"_Is he gonna leave too?" Ari bluntly questioned. _

"_I don't think so," Will closed his eyes. "I hope not."_

Alex looked at Will when he walked back over, "What's the kid doing?"

"Getting ready for bed," Will explained as he took Alex's hand, "She wants to know what you did with her Barbie though."

"I knew it," Alex wrapped his free arm around Will's shoulders. Looking at Kate Alex sighed, "Damn kid can't go a day without me."

Kate smiled slightly at Alex and her grandson. From the long talks she had had with Sami about the two of them she thought she had a pretty good grasp of their relationship. '_And Sami was right. I've never seen anyone look at Will like that.'_

Seeing Adrienne and Lucas coming their way Alex rolled his eyes, "Oh goodie."

"Alex," Adrienne cautiously walked over to him and Will. Frowning slightly at Kate Adrienne said, "Is it, can we, um, can I look around?"

Alex shrugged, trying to look casual, "Yeah sure."

Lucas nodded at Will and Alex before he took Adrienne's hand and started looking at the exhibit.

Will closed his eyes and winced before telling Alex and his grandma, "I don't think I want to see my dad's face when he realizes who's in those pictures."

A few minutes later, Lucas, red faced, tried not to look directly at Will, "Um the photos are really good, Alex."

"I know," Alex replied with a lazy smirk enjoying seeing Lucas squirm.

"They really are sweetie," Adrienne tentatively reached out and placed her hand on Alex's forearm. "I-I think they're amazing."

"Sure you do," Alex retorted looking at her hand in surprise.

"I do," Adrienne insisted, "I can see how much you care in your photos. I think they're beautiful."

Alex examined Adrienne's face incredulously, "That's the first time you've ever called them photos and not porn."

Adrienne scrunched her face together, "I-I am so sorry about that."

"If you say so," Alex moved his arm away from Adrienne not knowing how to feel.

Will, looking at his grandma, seeing the way she was glaring at Adrienne, tried to think of something to say to break the uncomfortable silence surrounding them.

"Will?" a asked voice dripping in surprise.

Will closed his eyes, '_I wanted something to make it less awkward but I guess that works_.' Feeling Alex gripping his hand tighter Will nodded, "Marlena, John."

"I-I didn't know you were here," Marlena said in a shocked voice. Staring at Will's face she could feel tears in her eyes, "Adrienne," she shook her head, "Adrienne said one of her sons was displaying his art work. I had no idea you would be here."

Guessing his grandma also had no idea about his relationship Will said, "Well I didn't know anyone would be here either."

John immediately noted the way Will was carrying himself now instead of the last times he had seen him. After knowing Will for so many years John had no idea what to do when Will found himself in a mess with his newly found son. Just like he had no idea what to do about Will now. '_How is Paul going to feel about this? How is Sonny?' _

"Whe-where have you been?" Marlena asked. She had been so disappointed in her grandson for so long that she didn't know what to do. Every time she tried to help it only seemed to push Will farther away from her. She decided it would be better to leave Will alone to give him some time to think. _'And then I got busy with my own life. I was so busy trying to help Sonny and Paul that I never stopped to think about what I was doing to Will. And then he was gone.' _

Will, ignoring her question, said, "Ari isn't here if you were wondering. This was a weekend trip."

"With who?" Marlena wasn't sure what to do, how to react.

"That would be me," Alex responded in a loud voice.

Adrienne, giving Marlena a pained smile, supplied, "This is my son, Alex. He's dating Will."

Will pressed his lips together when he saw his grandmother's eyes soften. Saw that same look he loathed seeing. The look that said he wasn't what she wanted. That he was just a walking disappointment that couldn't do anything right. The look he thought he would never have to see again. Leaning against Alex Will licked over his teeth and said politely, "Would you like to see his photos?"

* * *

Alex and Will stood closely together a few feet away from his display. "Do you want me to cause a scene and get them kicked out?" Alex offered, "Because I can do that."

"No," Will shook his head. "I just, I don't want to see any of these people. For the first time in probably my entire life I'm happy with everything. My career is great. Ari is perfect. And you and I?"

"Magical," Alex mocked slightly.

"Something like that," Will rolled his eyes. "And I don't want any of the people that made me feel horrible about my mistakes around me. Like my mistakes were any worse than what anyone else had ever done. I deserved better than to be treated like I didn't matter."

"Damn right you do," Alex encouraged, rubbing his hands up and down Will's arms, "You deserve everything. And I'm going to give it to you." Grabbing the back of Will's neck Alex kissed him soundly.

Once he pulled away he said, "And all of those people can go fuck themselves for all I care." Glancing over Will's shoulder Alex groaned, "Especially the dumbasses coming our way."

* * *

Joey grinned at the photographs in front of him clasping his hands under his chin, "Oh my god."

"What?" Vic who was looking at a different side of the display asked.

"Guess who the model is?" Joey practically jumped up and down in excitement. '_This is too good_.'

"Will," Paul stated looking at one photo in surprise.

Sonny narrowed his eyes at Paul, "How could you tell that? His face isn't in that picture."

Joey glanced quickly at the photo Paul was staring at and lifted his eyebrows up, "I knew because his face is in the ones over there. But you," Joey patted Paul's back, "Must have a very vivid memory."

Will, torn between horror and amusement, replied, "Well he has seen me naked before. I didn't think it was that memorable but," Will shrugged.

Seeing Sonny and Paul together while he was completely sober was much different for Will than when he was enjoying the warming effects of the tequila in his system like earlier. A small part of Will was terrified he was going to feel something he didn't want. Terrified every insecurity Paul Narita brought out of him was going to come rushing back.

'_But nothing_,' Will thought as he bizarrely watched Paul and Sonny looking at photos of him naked. All Will felt was a vague hint of nostalgia. '_The old Will would have vomited at the sight of them holding hands in public and I just feel reflective_.'

Gone were the days when Will would pester Paul day in and day out to leave Sonny alone. Gone were the days when Will would beg for Paul to let Will have a chance to fix things. _'I spent so long fighting for something that was already over and done with.' _

'_Now I've moved on with my life and I hope that Sonny is able to as well. I hope he gets to live the life with Paul he tried to have with me_.'

Sonny grabbed Paul's hand and yanked him further down the display. Knowing that Paul took one look at a picture of someone's naked body and automatically knew it was Will angered Sonny. He didn't care that he could do the same. '_Will was my husband of course I would know what he looks like. Paul was with him once. They promised me it was once. Why the hell does he remember that when you can't even see Will's face in the picture_?'

Studying the collection Alex laid out made Sonny want to rage and scream or cover his face and cry. Ever since he saw Will and Alex the month before that's all he wanted to do. He had thought he was over Will Horton. Over everything that had happened with them, over everything Will had done to him. But seeing Will with Alex, really seeing them together, made something tear inside of Sonny's chest.

He didn't think he was still in love with Will. He wasn't even entirely sure if he liked him anymore at least not the new Will he had seen. The one who told Sonny everything he was feeling without getting indignant. '_My Will never would have let me leave. He never would have left Salem at all_.'

'_And that's the problem with me isn't it_,' Sonny thought as he saw photo after photo of Will in various stages of undress. '_A part of me still thinks of him as mine. A part of me really wanted everything to be a trick, one last scheme to get my attention_.'

'_And it worked_,' Sonny admitted, '_I abandoned everything to fly all the way to California to see him. I didn't care about leaving Paul behind at all. I just left. And I never told him when I came back either what I had done_.'

'_Maybe Will was right. Maybe I do expect everyone to sit around waiting for me._' Closing his eyes Sonny turned away from a photo of Will's wide blue eyes staring at him, '_No, staring at Alex_.'

* * *

Paul chatted with his father as Sonny stood silently by his side. Before this trip Paul thought everything in his life was perfect. He had settled into Salem wonderfully. He had a job and the guy of his dreams. He forged bonds with all of his new family. '_Even the differences I had with Marlena were put aside when we really started to get to know each other_.'

'_And Will Horton was a distant memory_,' Paul reminded himself as he looked over at Will and Sonny's brother. From the vague explanations he had gotten earlier all Paul knew was that Alex was with Will now, really with Will.

'_Judging by the pictures I just saw_,' Paul thought, _'I can say that's true_.' Paul didn't know why he recognized Will in the picture other than the fact that he wasn't blind. _'At one point in time I wanted to be with Will even if it was before I knew everything about him.' _

The first time they met Paul liked what he saw. He liked getting to know Will. He liked having Will hanging off his every word and dropping everything to come listen to him. He liked kissing and sleeping with Will. But he did not like Will after everything happened, after the truth came out. The Will he thought he knew, the one that helped him come out to his family, the one that listened to him pour his heart out, was missing. Instead Paul was met with a bitter, insecure child who was nothing like the Will he knew before.

Paul knew his own actions weren't exactly helpful to Will but in his own defense Sonny never seemed to mind. '_Sonny sought me out time and time again even when he knew it would hurt Will. Every time I would try to pull away Sonny would reel me back in. If he didn't want to be near me he would have left me alone._'

When everything was finally over and Sonny had left Will for good Paul welcomed him with open arms. It had felt like it was three years ago almost as if they had never broken up. '_Except I was proud to show Sonny off on my arm and take him anywhere he wanted to go.' _

Paul knew that he might have been a bit unfair at first. He had encouraged Sonny to give Will time and space before he tried to talk about the baby. Justin had helped him out by making the divorce go as smoothly as possible. Paul knew that if he let Sonny go back to seeing Will and Arianna every day that eventually Sonny would feel guilty and start to doubt his choice. Start to doubt Paul.

'_I never thought that would cause Will to leave though_,' Paul admitted. Looking around at the way Will barely interacted with anyone outside of Alex and Kate Paul couldn't help but feel a little guilty. '_Everyone was so busy encouraging me to go after Sonny or to settle down with him that I never stopped to think why they weren't there for Will. His own grandma had left him alone_.'

'_It was Will and Arianna in a town full of people that openly disliked or disapproved of him. No wonder he left. Oh, but I loved it when Will left town. Sonny and I, hell everyone, thought that was Will's last ditch effort. He wanted Sonny to chase him down and drag him back but Sonny didn't_.'

'_Sonny was all mine and I never doubted us for a second_,' Paul glanced at Sonny now. He could see who Sonny was staring at. '_I just wish I felt that way now_.'

* * *

As the exhibit was winding down for the night Will watched as Alex pulled the curtain back across his booth as Will awkwardly chatted with Abigail and Jennifer, "Yeah she's in pre-school now. She loves it."

"Do you have any pictures?" Abigail asked looking at Will hopefully. She had been so upset when Will relocated Ari away from Salem but every time she tried to talk to Gabi about it she was instantly dismissed. For whatever reason Gabi agreed with Will's decision.

"Yeah," Will didn't particularly want to show any off but he figured one wouldn't hurt. Pulling out his phone he showed them one of his recent favorites. It featured Ari, Alex and Will standing in front of the castle at Disneyland. Alex had kept true to his word and took Ari to Disneyland every weekend.

"Oh my gosh," Jennifer grabbed Will's phone, "She's beautiful."

"Thanks," Will replied taking the phone back slowly. "And trust me I know she's gorgeous. Unfortunately so does she."

Smiling widely at Will Abigail nodded, "It's really nice seeing you, Will."

Will looked between his cousin and aunt nervously. "What?" he asked unaccustomed to anyone from Salem telling him that.

"You look and sound really good," Jennifer agreed. "What did you say you were doing with your writing now?"

"I write a weekly column for on parenting," Will explained, "Just online though. But I also do some freelance stuff for local papers. One of my friends went on maternity leave about a week ago and until she gets back I'm covering her consumer reporting."

"Wow," Abigail replied. "What, um, what kind of consumer reporting?"

"Mostly beauty stuff," Will told her while making a face, "Companies send me products and I use them for a while and write about if I like them or not. Not exactly the most fulfilling of jobs but it's just until she gets back to work."

"I'm glad to hear that things are going well for you," Jennifer patted Will's shoulder. While she wasn't very close to Will before he left she had missed him.

To save Will from having to say anything else Alex came over, "You ready to go?"

"Hi, Alex," Abigail smiled at him rocking back and forth on her heels.

"Do I know you?" Alex asked expressionlessly.

"It's your cousin, gosh" Abigail huffed and tossed her hair behind her shoulder laughing loudly.

Lifting one eyebrow Alex replied, "You're related to Adrienne which thankfully means you and I don't share any of the same genes. See ya."

Will snorted as Alex dragged him away. "You are so bad," Will told him as they started walking down a hallway.

Pushing Will against a wall Alex leered, "I just wanted to get you alone."

Putting his hands on Alex's shoulders Will asked, "How do you think it went?"

Alex shrugged, "OK I guess. No one said anything bad."

"But you'll know for sure tomorrow when the review comes out, right?" Will clarified.

"Yep," Alex pursed his lips trying to appear casual. "No use worrying about it now. So I was thinking that we could go find a nice dance club and recreate the moment we met."

"Hmm," Will pretended to think, "I guess that could work." Right before their lips touched an annoying face appeared at their sides.

"Guess what time it is?" Joey questioned. "Strip club time!"

* * *

"This is officially the most uncomfortable thing I've ever done," Will whispered into Alex's ear as they walked into the gentlemen's club behind Vic.

"You mean you're not interested in watching your father see girls take their clothes off," Alex commented. "I'm shocked."

"Girls I could care less about," Will shrugged, "It's the whole being here with people I don't particularly like thing."

"Look on the bright side," Alex said as he found a table near the bar and watched the girls on the stage momentarily, "You can take some notes and give me a show later."

"Why do I always overhear you saying something inappropriate?" Vic asked as he sat down across from Will with Sonny and Paul following slowly behind him.

"Stop listening to my conversations," Alex responded back.

"Sorry, Vic," Will laughed. He kind of loved that even though Joey and Vic were identical twins they had very different personalities.

"I'm sure it's not your fault," Vic conceded smiling at Will slightly.

"Nope," Will told Vic seriously, "It's all Alex. He's a terrible influence."

"How dare you?" Alex mocked yanking Will against him. "I'm an upstanding citizen."

"Why is everyone sitting over here?" Joey whined as he came over. "I got us a table up front and so far it's only Lucas, John and me. Do you know how weird that is?"

"What did you think was going to happen?" Will looked at Joey curiously. "Only half of the guys you brought to this thing are completely straight."

"Sonny, Paul sit with me?" Joey asked hopefully. When they both looked at him blankly Joey narrowed his eyes.

"Fine," Joey huffed, "The straight boys are going over there." Joey dragged Vic out of his seat, "Alex, you like girls too. That means you're coming."

"I have so many jokes I want to say right now my brain can't even function," Alex informed his brother.

"Tell them to bring out blondes," Will smiled at Joey, "Dad likes those best."

"Huh, your dad and I finally have something in common," Alex lifted his eyebrows up at Will before putting his hand low on his hip.

Joey glared at Sonny and Alex slightly, "Just so you two know at the moment Will is my favorite brother."

As Joey dragged Vic away with him Will realized he and Alex had been left alone with Sonny and Paul. Seeing a waitress Will smiled at her to get her attention, '_We're gonna need some drinks._'

* * *

Sitting in painful silence no one knew what to say. Will glanced at his father and frowned slightly when he saw the blondes jiggling in his father's direction. '_I could have gone my whole life without seeing that_,' Will shivered slightly.

"Boobs scaring you?" Alex asked sardonically.

"You know Ari wasn't born from Immaculate Conception," Will sighed, "I'm fairly certain I've seen boobs before."

"Uh," Paul said licking his lips nervously, "Speaking of Ari how is she?"

Giving Paul a strange look Will replied, "Fine. She started playing soccer."

"That's, um, that's nice to hear," Paul gave Will an uncomfortable smile.

"Do you wanna see a picture," Will offered trying to be nice. He handed over the same picture he showed Abigail and Jennifer earlier.

Paul smiled at the picture of Ari in a princess outfit with a beaming grin. He showed the photo to Sonny, "Wow. She's gigantic now."

Sonny practically ripped the phone out of Paul's hand and stared at it. When he was in California he spent almost all of his time focused on Will and Alex he hardly thought about Ari at all. _'I was the first person in the world to see her, to hold her. And now I hardly recognize her.' _

'_Why did I stay away from her when I left Will? Why did I leave her too? How could I leave her_?'

Without Will's permission Sonny looked through Will's pictures not surprised in the slightest that they mostly all featured Ari. Ari wearing a soccer uniform. Ari smiling outside of the dentist's office showing off her teeth. Ari and Alex asleep on the couch. Alex wearing a princess crown glaring at the camera as Ari pointed and laughed. Ari jumping into the ocean. Ari surrounded by a large pile of presents and a huge birthday cake. A close up of Will and Alex's faces smooshed together with a wide carefree smile on Will's face.

Paul took the phone back from Sonny when he saw Sonny staring at the picture of Will and Alex. Handing it back to Will Paul told him, "She's really cute."

"Thanks," Will nodded as he leaned back against Alex. The heavy weight from his arm felt comforting across Will's shoulder. Wondering how the hell his weekend brought him here Will practically cheered when the waitress returned with their drinks.

"I think you're the only men in the room not enjoying the show," the fake redhead proclaimed as she passed out the drinks noting that none of the men at the table were looking down her barely there shirt.

"He's enjoying it," Will patted Alex's chest. "He's just too busy glowering to admit it now."

"Why are you all here if you aren't interested in the show?" she couldn't help but ask having figured out they must not be very straight.

Will, already downing half his drink, responded, "Bachelor party."

"I see," the waitress waited stood around hoping for a few tips. "And why do you all look like you want to kill each other?"

"Well," Will shrugged, "Probably because we're mostly all going to be related this time tomorrow." Gulping down the rest of his drink Will put his glass back on the woman's tray, "And I've had sex with everyone at this table."

Staring at the blonde man in front of her the waitress tried not to laugh and said, "I think your next round is on me gents."

"Really?" Sonny gave Will a harsh glare when the waitress moved away.

Will shrugged, "Well it's true."

"That's not something you tell people," Sonny scolded. "Nobody needs to know our business. Why do you always do this?"

"Do what?" Alex demanded getting sick and tired of Sonny's comments toward Will. "Tell the truth?"

Paul looked between Sonny and Alex not knowing what to think. Most of the things Paul had ever heard about Alex were never very friendly. '_I knew they always had some kind of rivalry but this is ridiculous_,' Paul shook his head.

Glancing at Will Paul couldn't help but notice how differently he carried himself. '_He looks completely comfortable with himself, with being here. Even the way he looks at Sonny is different_.'

Paul still wasn't sure what this was all about, why everyone seemed to know about Will and Alex but he didn't. Every time he tried to bring it up to Sonny he'd find a way to change the subject. _'Sonny can't even talk about Will and it looks like Will could care less about Sonny at all.' _

"That is not the whole truth," Sonny practically hissed at Alex, hands clutching the arms of his seat.

"Really?" Alex shrugged exaggeratingly, "Because I know you've fucked Will. I know he's fucked Will," Alex gestured to Paul, "And I fucked him a few hours ago. So please tell me how that wasn't in any way true."

Will touched his fingertips to his forehead eyes wide, "Wow."

"God would you stop it," Sonny wasn't sure he could take much more of Alex or Will. "No one needs to know that."

"You know," Alex settled back in his seat, smiling at Sonny widely, "I'm starting to think you have a problem with me being with your ex."

Sonny took a deep breath and set his jaw, nostrils flaring as he stared at Alex.

"Nothing to say this time?" Alex taunted, "So what part of it bothers you; I'm curious."

"Alex," Will sat up straight and put his hand on Alex's leg. Will bit his lip and looked in Alex's eyes, "You need to stop it, both of you," Will turned his gaze on Sonny.

Sonny shook his head, "Are you doing this on purpose?"

"I'm not doing anything Sonny," Will could feel exhaustion settling in. From getting up early and the long car ride to visiting so many people he never wanted to see again and now this. _'All I want is to go to the room and leave this mess behind me.' _

Paul, frowning, crossed his arms, _'What is this_?'

"Right," Sonny scoffed. "You _never_ did anything."

"I'm not your husband anymore, Sonny," Will pointed out. "You don't get to talk to me like I'm a child." Moving away from Alex Will stood up, knowing Alex would follow him, "If you feel like talking to me like an adult you know where to find me. Until then you can keep your mouth and your opinion to yourself."

* * *

Will shut the door behind him once he and Alex were inside. Tossing his room key card on the side table Will stretched his arms over his head and started taking off his shoes.

Alex, who had been particularly quiet since they told everyone goodbye, watched as Will kicked off his shoes. Moving forward when Will started pulling his shirt off Alex reached out to grab his hips.

With his shirt still covering his eyes Will made a loud oomph sound as Alex grabbed him and tossed him to the bed. "What?" Will started to ask before Alex's mouth descended on his.

Alex held onto Will's hips tightly as he licked across his mouth. Without giving Will any time to think Alex started unbuttoning his pants and ripping them off his legs.

Finally pulling his shirt all the way off Will grunted when he was suddenly naked underneath Alex. Wrapping his arms around Alex's neck Will opened his mouth kissing Alex back. Will didn't quite know what was running through Alex's head but he was fairly certain it had to do with everything from tonight.

Alex dragged his hand from Will's hips down to his ass. Squeezing the ample flesh Alex pulled Will's cheeks apart. Thumbing across his hole Alex wasted no time roughly inserting his thumb.

Biting on Alex's lower lip in surprise Will yanked away. "Fuck, Alex," Will whined. Sometimes the two experimented without any lubricant but usually Will was given a warning.

"Want you right now," Alex explained as he pulled his thumb out and shoved his index finger inside in its place. "Don't want to wait. You're still a little open from earlier."

"Ah," Will smacked at Alex's upper arm. "No I want the lube."

Alex nodded before scrambling to get the bag he shoved the lube in earlier, "Fine, fine. Don't move."

"I'm not going anywhere," Will assured him. "But hurry up."

Finally getting the tube Alex rubbed a generous amount around his fingers before spreading Will's legs and immediately shoving two fingers inside of him.

"Alex," Will threw his head against the bed circling his hips as Alex finished preparing him.

Making quick work of Will Alex unzipped his pants and shoved them down just enough to pull out his cock. Stroking the leftover lube around his dick Alex lined himself up with Will's opening and shoved himself inside.

Legs curling around Alex's hips Will pulled Alex into a rough kiss to match Alex's harsh thrusts.

Ripping away from the kiss Alex bent forward and bit against Will's chest wanting to mark his skin everywhere. He wanted everyone to look at him and know he was his. Alex nipped at every bit of flesh he could reach.

Will ran his fingers through Alex's hair, holding his face against his chest, listening as Alex punctuated each bite with the word, "Mine."

"Yes," Will worked his hips back against Alex's thrusts, "Yours. All yours. I don't want anyone else, just you, only you."

Alex tore away from Will's chest and grabbed Will's face looking into his eyes, "I love you, OK? I fucking love you."

"I love you too," Will choked out eyes closing as he felt Alex's hand wrap around his cock.

"I love you," Alex repeated as he slammed into Will and jerked him quickly, "And you're all mine and I'm all yours."

"Yes," Will nodded weakly, barely able to focus, "Yours."

It only took a few more minutes before Will was coming loudly practically wailing as his body twitched and shook against Alex.

Feeling Will clenching around him Alex pounded as roughly as he dared until he spilt inside of Will. Holding Will's trembling body against him Alex worked his hips until he was completely spent. Collapsing on top of Will Alex lightly kissed along Will's neck and jawline worshipfully.

Will ran his fingers lightly through Alex's brown locks as he slowly recovered. After a few moments Will chuckled, "You're still wearing all your clothes and shoes."

"Yeah," Alex responded in a low voice. "I told you I didn't want to wait."

"Apparently you meant it," Will smiled before he winced when Alex pulled out of him.

Reaching over for Will's shirt Alex used it to clean Will off with before tossing it to the floor.

"Gross," Will complained half-heartedly.

Alex shrugged completely unconcerned. He took his time pulling off his shoes and clothing. When he was completely naked he crawled back into bed with Will and opened his arms waiting for Will to lie against him.

"The wedding is in the afternoon," Will told Alex as he traced shapes against his chest. "Did you want to go?"

"No," Alex answered honestly before sighing and closing his eyes. "But I think we should go."

"That's what I thought you were going to say," Will nodded. "So I guess we know what we're doing tomorrow."

"Good thing Joey said he would buy us all the booze we wanted, huh?" Alex grunted as he leaned down to kiss Will again.

* * *

Author's note:

The next chapter is going to feature the wedding and a few confrontations.

Please let me know what you thought.

Thanks so much for reading!

PS Thank you to iluvh0rs3s for being my cheerleader throughout this chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

"We could go see the lions in that one hotel," Alex suggest through a yawn.

"I'm pretty sure they moved them somewhere else. Besides that would have made me sad," Will pointed out as he sat on the floor attempting to do his morning yoga routine. It was infinitely harder when Alex wouldn't stop talking. '_This is why he's forbidden to go outside with me in the mornings_,' Will reminded himself as he stretched one arm behind his back.

"I guess that means the dolphins are out too," Alex mused as he looked through the various pamphlets he found in their room. "Should we buy one of those buffet card things that you can use at other hotels too?"

Rolling his eyes Will replied, "If you want. Although I don't see how you can get your money's worth with it when we're going to a reception this afternoon."

"Oxygen bar?" Alex questioned sarcastically.

Will shook his head and closed his eyes, "Whatever you want to do that doesn't involve heights or animals in sad situations I'm fine with."

"That literally leaves us with gambling or getting married," Alex stated knowing Will wouldn't want to do either.

"Pass," Will grunted as he rolled his neck around.

"How about we just start with breakfast and go from there?" Alex decided on before tossing the brochures to the side. "I've only got things planned for tonight anyway."

Giving up on the yoga Will stood up and agreed, "I'm starving as it is. Let's just take a shower and eat."

Following after Will into the extravagantly fashioned bathroom Alex shrugged, "Fine by me."

"I found a paper," Will announced as he sat back down across from Alex annoyed to note that their breakfast still hadn't arrived.

"So that's what that gray thing in your hands is. I never would have figured that out," Alex commented before drinking his mimosa. "You could have waited until after we ate, you know? Or I don't know looked it up online."

Ignoring Alex Will started unfolding the newspaper and looking for the entertainment section. Finally finding it he asked, "Do you want to read it or do you want me to read it and tell you if it's good or bad?"

Deliberating for a moment, refusing to admit he was a bit apprehensive to read any reviews, Alex shrugged, "Just read it. You care more anyway."

"Sure I do," Will muttered to himself. Will immediately noticed that there was both an article about the art showing as well as a review from one of the critics from last night. He quickly read over the article first trying not to critique the writing style. '_You aren't an expert you don't need to be rude, Horton_.'

Once that was finished Will turned to the critique and held his breath as he began to read.

Alex, anxiously wrinkling the napkin in his lap, took extra care to watch Will's face as he read. When Alex noticed Will's expression wasn't revealing anything Alex spat out, "OK just tell me what it says."

"Well-" Will started to say.

"It's bad, isn't it?" Alex cut Will off. "OK, just let me know, I can handle it."

"Alex," Will interrupted trying not to snort, "It's not bad. Actually, I think you're going to like it."

Seeing the wide grin slide onto Will's face Alex reached out and snatched the paper out of his hands, eyes quickly scanning over the review.

Will practically bounced in his seat. It took all of his self-control to not give away anything while he was reading.

"Well fuck," Alex stated practically disbelieving what he was reading.

"I guess you were right when you said they were your best," Will beamed before getting out of his seat and moving to the one next to Alex.

Recovering from his surprise Alex put his arm around Will's shoulder, "Well obviously once they saw you naked I knew everyone would agree."

Will smacked him lightly on the chest, "Be serious. This is amazing. They loved your pictures. Loved them. This is, this is huge."

"Yeah," Alex bit the side of his cheek trying not to overreact. "Well it's just one critic on one art show. It might not mean anything."

"Yeah right," Will argued with a laugh, "You're as excited as I am and you know it. So," Will pulled the paper closer, "What's your favorite part of it? Where they say you had a near perfect display? Or where they called me your muse?"

"I like the part where my muse shuts up and kisses me," Alex complained before he put his hands behind Will's neck and pulled him in for a kiss.

Will sighed against Alex's mouth as he relaxed into the kiss. He was vaguely aware of the waitress bringing their food and setting it on the table but gave her no mind. It wasn't until a few moments later when someone cleared their throat that Will and Alex separated.

Lucas and Adrienne stood across from Will and Alex looking extremely uncomfortable.

"Uh," Will blinked at them for a moment or two, lips tingling slightly, "Hi."

"Good morning," Adrienne smiled slightly. She still didn't feel entirely comfortable with another one of her sons being hung up on Will Horton but even she couldn't deny how they felt about each other. _'Not after seeing those pictures.'_

"Looks like you recovered from last night," Alex quipped in Lucas's direction. He smirked slightly when he saw a light blush light up his cheeks. _'I knew Will couldn't get that from Sami_.'

"Yeah," Lucas nodded, "We didn't stay very long after you two left."

"I can't imagine why," Will chuckled. Seeing the way his father and Adrienne were holding hands Will asked her, "How was your night?"

"Just about the same as his," Adrienne bumped her shoulder into Lucas's with a smile.

"Isn't it bad luck to see each other before your wedding?" Alex asked feeling weird looking at Adrienne stare at someone that soppily. "Or have you both been married so often it doesn't matter now?"

Will tried not to laugh as he watched his father sputter around a bit. Reaching down and putting his hand on Alex's leg Will questioned, "Um, do you want to sit down?"

"So you really did meet at a bar?" Adrienne looked between Alex and Will carefully. "I thought you were just being crude."

Alex narrowed his eyes and leaned his head back, "Why would I lie about that? I saw him, I wanted him, and I got him."

"And how exactly did that turn into this?" Lucas gestured with his hands between the two. He still wasn't quite sure what to make of his son and Alex. He and Adrienne had been talking about the two ever since they left California. A part of Lucas thought it had to be a joke. That Will moving to the other side of the country and finding himself a Kiriakis to settle down with had to be either a trick or the world's biggest coincidence.

Looking at the way Alex stared at his son Lucas began to see, _'I guess it was a coincidence after all.'_

"We just kept seeing each other," Will shrugged before taking a drink of his mimosa. "It developed from there."

"And you really do own a house together?" Adrienne couldn't even imagine Alex owning a condo let alone a house.

"Yep," Alex nodded his head once.

_Will was leaning over Alex kissing him softly the early morning sunshine cascading through his curtains. Ever since Ari gave them permission to have sleep overs Alex had spent almost every single night in Will's bed. Sometimes they talked until they eventually fell asleep. Other nights they had to wait for everyone else to get to bed before they could spend the night wrapped in each other's arms. Will knew it wasn't exactly what Alex had in mind but it was all Will could offer._

_However, what Will loved the most was definitely waking up with Alex on the weekends when neither had anyway they needed to be. They could easily get caught up in each other and their bodies. Unfortunately living in a house with his mother and four children didn't exactly have that many perks._

"_Johnny get off your sister," Sami shrieked from downstairs._

_Wincing slightly Will and Alex attempted to ignore the loud argument but when Johnny started shouting back the two gave up. Will rolled off of Alex and slumped to the bed._

"_We need our own place," Alex grunted as he adjusted himself in his boxers. He enjoyed Will's family. He thought Sami was hilarious. _'But I don't need her screeching ruining my morning_.'_

_Will turned on his side to face Alex._

"_What?" Alex didn't know what to make of Will's expression. "Why do you look like your eyes are going to pop out of your head?"_

"_You said we," Will pointed out moving until he was on his knees staring down at Alex._

"_OK," Alex said looking at Will oddly. "And that means what?"_

"_You want to live with me," Will smiled, "Me and Ari."_

_Alex rolled his eyes, "Well to get you I have to bring the tagalong."_

_Will shook his head and pressed his lips together, "You're serious about us."_

"_What gave you that impression?" Alex gruffly responded snatching his hand away when Will tried to hold it. "Was it the part where you're the only person I've been with for months or the part where I spend all my time with you and a kid?"_

_Will laid back on the bed, snuggling close to Alex and closing his eyes, "I thought you didn't like kids."_

"_I don't," Alex grunted even though he automatically lifted his arm to pull Will closer._

"_You told her goodnight last night," Will crinkled his nose, "And she called you by your name."_

"_The faster she got into bed the faster I'd get into yours," Alex defended weakly._

"_Nope," Will sighed happily, "You like her."_

"_So what if I do?" Alex rolled his eyes, "It would just be easier if we were together without your mom around. You know I like her but we can't stay here forever. And the kid would flip if you tried to stay at my place."_

"_What should we do then?" Will opened his eyes and looked at Alex, "Find an apartment or something?"_

"_No," Alex pursed his lips a bit, "I was thinking more like a house maybe that we could buy."_

_Will stared at Alex blankly._

"_And don't say anything about money either," Alex started saying, "Because I was snooping around and saw your bank statement. I don't know why you flip out when you buy things when you've saved that much. Plus I've got my own money."_

"_But-" Will tried to interject._

"_Besides," Alex continued, "It's better to buy than rent anyway. Plus that way I could just put the kid in the backyard when she annoys me and not have to worry about it."_

"_You're actually serious?" Will questioned as he heard Alex ramble. He knew Alex only did that when he was nervous. "You really want a house?"_

_Alex shrugged, "I guess. I just don't see the point in having an apartment when we can afford something nicer, something that would be ours."_

"_We need to talk to Ari," Will licked his lips as he began thinking it over, trying to picture it in his mind, "Before we do anything else."_

"_Well duh," Alex sighed dramatically, "Like I don't know she's the one in charge of you."_

"_Us," Will smiled, "She's in charge of us."_

"It took a long time to find one we all three liked," Will told them.

"And by that he means one that he thought was worth paying that much for," Alex lifted one eyebrow at Will and shook his head slightly. "He was the biggest pain in the ass trying to renovate too."

"Well there was no reason to pay that much for a toilet when the one at Home Depot was the exact same," Will defended himself.

"Uh huh," Alex grumbled. One of the major things that the two couldn't see eye to eye on was definitely expenses. Alex knew they were fine while Will freaked out about everything.

Will rolled his eyes before glancing at his father and Adrienne. He noticed they had almost matching expressions on their faces. '_I wonder what that's all about_.'

'_They're a real couple_,' Lucas thought feeling slightly uncomfortable, swallowing a mouthful of coffee. _'A real couple with real problems and a house and a daughter.'_

"Can, um, can we ask about Ari?" Adrienne licked her lips and reached under the table for Lucas's hand needing his support.

Will inhaled from his nose and licked across the top of his teeth. He might have showed some pictures of Ari the night before, and now that he's thinking about it he's pretty sure Sonny saw more than Will wanted him to, but Will wasn't sure if he wanted to really get in depth with his father or Adrienne.

'_Ari was so important to both of them. How could they both just forget about her to let me crash and burn_?'

Lucas could tell that Will was mulling over the idea. A part of Lucas wanted to lash out and remind Will that Ari was their grandchild and they had a right to know about her. But logically Lucas knew that wasn't true. '_If we wanted to be a part of Ari's life why did we leave her and Will alone? Why didn't I ever try to find them or talk to Will before he left?_'

Before Will could say anything Adrienne started talking in a soft voice, "Lucas and I were talking about when our friendship first started and well we remembered a long time ago when you first came out." Adrienne looked right at Will, "And he was still trying to deal with everything. But what really brought us close together was Ari."

Lucas smiled at Adrienne, "Yep going to your apartment and playing with Ari and talking for hours is how we first became us."

Alex glared at them both and asked, "If you expect me to believe that's true then how do you explain the whole abandoning them until Will felt like he had to leave town thing, hmm?"

"That's," Lucas tried to justify it. Every excuse he ever told himself rolled through his head and reached the tip of his tongue. Sighing Lucas closed his eyes, "I want to say that's not fair and it's true but not for me. It wasn't fair for you Will or for Ari. You're my son and I should have been there supporting you not blaming you for everything."

Will nodded once. It felt good to hear his father admitting that but at the same time it almost didn't feel like enough. _'Does that make me selfish_?' Will wondered. Before he gave himself much time to think about it or before Alex could lay into anyone Will cleared his throat, "Thanks."

Will pulled out his phone and pulled up the same picture of Ari he had been showing everyone else. He didn't exactly think it would be very appropriate to get into everything on the day of their wedding anyway. '_If we can make it through today without any incidents it will be a miracle_.'

Alex watched as Lucas and Adrienne scrolled through Will's pictures, with his permission, and couldn't help from scowling. He didn't like so many people looking at photos of the kid. Alex finally had something that was all his and he didn't plan on sharing it with anyone anytime soon.

Will and Alex walked hand and hand towards the Starbucks inside the hotel. Will could tell from how close Alex was standing that he was feeling on edge about having breakfast around Adrienne and Lucas. Will figured he wouldn't mention to Alex quite yet that he saw Adrienne sneaking away the newspaper with Alex's review in it. At first Will was annoyed but when he saw the slight glisten to her eyes Will decided he could find another one.

After ordering Alex and Will stood off to the side near the pickup window and discussed what they wanted to do. "Oh crap," Will commented suddenly. "We didn't pack anything to wear to a wedding?"

"You packed those fancy black pants," Alex shrugged, "That's good enough for a wedding I don't care about."

"You can't just wear black pants and a shirt to a wedding," Will rolled his eyes. "We need to at least buy ties."

"Why are we buying ties?" came a voice from behind them. Turning to see Joey's smiling face Will and Alex both held in a sigh.

"I didn't overhear anything mentally scarring again did I?" Vic wondered as he walked over and stood next to Joey.

"Neck ties," Will explained, "Although Alex does like to use them to tie m-"

"That's all we needed to know," Vic rushed out quickly. Seeing the way Will shrugged a bit apologetically Vic couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Well this is perfect," Joey shoved Alex to the side and put his arm around Will, "I need to find a shirt. You need to find a tie. We can go on our first brotherly bonding adventure." Looking at Vic pointedly Joey very unsubtly used his head to gesture at Alex.

Giving his brother a sad shake of his head Vic replied, "And Alex and I can stay here."

Alex hit Joey in the arm again as he hissed, "Quit ruining every moment of my weekend."

Alex and Vic sat down in front of two vacant slot machines and inserted the cards they put money on before getting started.

"So," Vic mumbled not certain what to say, "Mom's getting married in a few hours to someone that's not Dad."

"I'm so shocked," Alex rolled his eyes.

"Dude," Vic gave Alex an annoyed look. "Don't even."

"Dad and Adrienne have been down this road before and they always end up right back where they started," Alex shrugged. "Dad probably thinks this is more of the same."

"Except for the whole being in love with someone else thing," Vic reminded Alex. "And Lucas is a nice guy. They're good together."

"Oh yeah they're fantastic," Alex muttered under his breath.

Ignoring his brother Vic asked, "What would you have done today if you didn't know about the wedding?"

Alex shrugged, "Wandered until we found something to do or spend all day in our room."

"I didn't need to know that last part," Vic shook his head.

"It probably would have been something that didn't cost much because Will flips out about that crap," Alex admitted. Motioning towards the slot machine Alex added, "Like this. He would freak out that I was blowing twenty bucks on something this dumb."

"Really?" Vic was a bit surprised by that.

"It's that stupid banking app's fault," Alex rolled his eyes. "Every time I spend something he'll call me." In a surprisingly accurate impersonation of Will Alex said, "Why did you spend $39.47 at Starbucks?" Switching back to his own voice Alex continued, "Because I got something for your mom, all the kids and us before I came home. Way to ruin my good deed asshole."

"So he's pretty intense about money, Huh?" Vic watched as Alex pushed the screen on his slot machine.

"Yeah," Alex shrugged, "I mean I get it but it still drives me nuts. He almost cried when he saw how much our mortgage payment was. Money freaks him out."

"Why does it do that?" Vic wondered as he turned to his own machine.

"Gee, I wonder?" Alex grumbled sarcastically. "He's got this warped view in his head about shared expenses and money. Sure I had a lot of money before I got together with him but the whole point of having a joint bank account is so we both use it. And it's not like he didn't have money saved up too. He didn't pay for anything when he was living with Sami."

"So that was a big thing with him and Sonny?" Vic wanted to double check. He never really knew what to do about this subject. Alex and Sonny were both his brothers and he didn't want to pick sides but it was so hard with Will. '_He cheated on Sonny. Not just once but twice. The way dad and Uncle Vic talk about him it's like he's some sort of evil caricature. But Alex loves him. Alex. How could he be that bad?_'

"When Ari was first born or whatever Sonny paid for everything, seriously everything," Alex explained as he jabbed at the touch screen. "And writing articles isn't exactly lucrative. And I guess there was a time when Sonny blew most of their money on some dumb expansion thing that blew up in his face without telling Will and started harping on him about making more money."

"Will's just afraid that when I say that we're sharing everything I really mean it's mine to do with as I please," Alex added before frowning at his screen.

"I see," Vic couldn't exactly picture Sonny doing anything like that. '_With how smart he is how could he do that?'_

"So," Vic cleared his throat, "Money's the thing you two fight about most?"

"It's not even that we fight about it," Alex shrugged, "I don't worry about it and he worries too much. When we decided to buy a house he drove me fucking nuts with his damn spreadsheets and budgets. And when we decided to get a house that needed work done he drove the damn contractor crazy too."

"Huh," Vic watched as the screen on his slot machine started flipping through a series of images. "And you've talked to him about it before?"

"Yes," Alex replied in a bored tone. "He makes us sit down every month when our bills come in and go over everything. It's my least favorite day of the month."

"That doesn't sound that bad," Vic gave Alex a strange look. "It sounds responsible."

"Well it's annoying as fuck when I know he only does it because of Sonny," Alex grumbled and jabbed several times at the screen in front of him.

'_Ah ha_,' Vic thought to himself, '_So it does bother him_.'

Clearing his throat Vic asked, "Are you ready to admit that it kills you?"

"That what kills me?" Alex shot his brother a warning look.

Not caring about upsetting Alex Vic said, "That it kills you that Will was married to Sonny."

Refusing to answer Alex stared at his slot machine.

"Not answering is all the answer I need," Vic told him in a sing-song voice.

Alex closed his eyes and set his jaw, "It doesn't kill me. I just didn't have to think about it before. It's different hearing him talking about it versus seeing it." Crossing his arms Alex sighed, "And I don't think Sonny is as over him as he likes to say."

"Yeah," Vic didn't want to get involved in anything that would pit his brothers against each other but he couldn't lie. "I think there's something going on with Sonny. He didn't tell Paul he went to California."

"What?" Alex looked over at Vic. "Why the hell wouldn't he tell him?"

"Every time one of us tries to ask him Sonny changes the subject," Vic explained. "After you and Will left the hot tub it was all awkward and tense."

"Great," Alex snorted. "Whatever dysfunction is going on in that brain of his better stay the hell away from Will."

"I always thought Sonny was completely into Paul," Vic divulged. "He never gave us any indication he wasn't but seeing him in California and seeing him here. I just don't know."

"Sonny doesn't know the difference between being in love and having a crush," Alex shook his head in annoyance. "Every person he's ever dated he's allegedly been in love with."

"Remember that one weird guy in high school," Vic chuckled a bit. "The one with the hair that Sonny kept defending."

"God he was a desperate kid," Alex chortled cheering up slightly. "I'm sure this is just like back in the day anyway."

"Meaning?" Vic turned to face Alex.

"He never wanted any of his toys until someone else tried to take them. Sonny doesn't want Will," Alex explained, "He just doesn't want anyone else to have him either."

"So," Joey asked Will as they wandered through the shopping mall near the hotel. "I'm curious what's domestic life like with Alex? Does he take out the trash? Do the dishes? Mow the yard?"

Will, taking a sip of his coffee, looked at Joey curiously, "Sometimes he does. It just depends on who notices that type of stuff first."

"Wait," Joey put his hand on Will's arm and made him stop walking. Disregarding the annoyed people having to go around them Joey added, "Alex seriously does that stuff? I figured he just sat around half naked all day complaining about life and taking pictures of your elbow or something."

"Elbow?" Will repeated before getting Joey to keep on walking. "What's the big deal anyway? Alex does things around our house and my mom's."

"It's just kind of mindboggling," Joey tried to explain. Wrinkling his forehead Joey shook his head, "Alex has never been into that kind of stuff." Noticing Will's confused expression Joey amended, "Domestic, family stuff. Even when he was a kid he never wanted to do family activities. He'd play with us and everything but he never cared about other things."

Chuckling a bit Joey said, "When he was a teenager Mom decided we all needed to be more responsible and gave us all these chores in exchange for money. Normal parent stuff. Alex was the only one that refused. He said if he wanted money he'd go out and make his own."

"So he did," Will nodded. "Sounds like Alex."

"Yeah," Joey laughed, "We were all super annoyed that we did so much work around the house and got ten bucks and he came back from sitting on his ass at an art gallery with over a hundred."

Will smiled, "I'm sure making you all annoyed made him happy."

"Of course it did," Joey pulled Will into one shop and began to browse. "Anything that annoyed us or annoyed Mom made him happy."

Will wandered over to the section with ties. Looking at the price tag he immediately put it back and walked slowly away. '_There is no way in hell I'm paying that much_.'

Joey, popping up behind Will, asked, "Exactly how did you manage to get Alex to play house with you? I've never even seen him near a baby that wasn't Sonny."

"That was his idea thank you very much," Will snorted out a laugh, "We talked about moving in together and then he convinced Ari. Has anyone ever managed to get Alex to do something he doesn't want?"

"True," Joey conceded. "But you have to tell me all the details. I need to know so I can make fun of him later for being sappy."

"_I want a pony, Daddy," Ari prattled on a mile a minute as soon as she saw him. "It can live in my room and be my best friend and you won't need a car anymore because we can ride ponies."_

"_So you liked it, huh?" Will rubbed her back and smiled at her. "I knew you would."_

"_What kid wouldn't want to ride a pony at the park?" Alex retorted as he slipped his arm around Will's waist._

"_I want one Daddy, please, please," Ari bounced up and down and tried to stick out her lower lip at the same time._

"_I'll buy you a toy pony or a stuffed pony but you can't have a real one," Will let her down gently._

"_Aw," Ari pouted as she crossed her arms and let out a loud huff._

_Alex rolled his eyes and steered Will towards the picnic tables, "I'm starving."_

_Will pulled out all of the food he had packed and handed Ari her juice box. Will knew it wasn't entirely healthy to bring Ari out for a super fun day to soften her up before telling her about potentially moving in with Alex but he didn't know what else to do. Ari and Alex had come a long way from their first meeting when Ari tried to scratch out his eyes but Will wasn't sure how she would react to this._

_For the most part Ari seemed to have relaxed about clinging to Will so hard a lot of the time. Enrolling her in preschool helped with that but she still had nightmares from time to time. She never really explained them but from the way she would barnacle herself to Will he had a fairly good idea. '_But us moving together would just bring us closer not farther apart.'

_After the conversation he had with his mom about why Ari disliked Alex so much Will had done everything he could think of to show Ari that dating Alex didn't mean he was in any way less devoted to her. Will knew Alex didn't particularly want to spend all of their nights at his mother's house but he tried to make it worth his wild._

_Looking over at the way Alex automatically handed Ari the sandwich without lettuce and convinced her to move closer to the table made Will smile and bite his lip. _'I guess while showing Ari Alex isn't so bad I showed Alex Ari isn't so bad either.'

_As Ari continued talking on and on about her pony ride Alex drummed his index finger against his knee rapidly. He wouldn't say he was nervous but he wasn't entirely confident this was going to go the way he wanted. When he first started getting to know Ari Alex was ready to call it quits. He didn't take too kindly to being clawed at but he kept reminding himself what he would be giving up. For the most part as long as he kept his mouth far away from Will Ari would behave. Sure he didn't know how to talk to a three year old really and he didn't know when to keep his mouth shut but it was working._

'I don't particularly love spending my evenings surrounded by Will's family but it could be worse. It's fun trying to outdo Sami's ridiculous stories. And at least all the kids are cute. I'm not dealing with ugly kids.' _Glancing over at Will nodding at whatever Ari was telling him Alex rolled his eyes at himself a bit_, 'Will's worth it as cheesy as that makes me feel_.'_

_When Ari started inhaling the cupcake they bought before they headed to the park Alex took a sip of his soda and cleared his throat. Winking at Will briefly Alex stated, "Alright kid here's what's happening. You love your dad and so do I. We tolerate each other. Now we're going to make a deal."_

_With chocolate crumbs all around her mouth Ari sniffed her nose and looked at Alex._

"_I want you and your daddy to live with me instead of grandma," Alex said in as nice of a tone as he knew how._

_Ari narrowed her eyes and took another too large bite smearing frosting everywhere. Her initial thought was to say no. She liked living with her grandma and her aunts and uncle. She didn't want to move anywhere. '_But he said a deal_,' Ari reminded herself._

"_What deal?" Ari demanded trying to sound like Alex did._

"_The deal," Alex explained, "Is if you agree to move in with me I'll let you pick out what you want."_

_Ari, licking as much of her face as she could, said "I want a pool."_

"_OK," Alex nodded. He could work with that. Reaching over to take Will's hand Alex squeezed it almost amazed this was going the way it was._

"_And a room for my toys," Ari added when no one argued with her, "And a princess bed and a puppy and-"_

"_Don't push your luck kid," Alex cut her off._

"_I guess we should sit down and really start talking about this stuff," Will beamed as he moved closer to Alex and leaned against him._

"_Daddy," Ari smiled at him sweetly, "If we live in a big house does that mean they'll be room for a pony?"_

Joey laughed loudly, earning them some strange looks from the well-dressed and pretentious looking employees. "Oh my god. Does he even realize that he bought her everything she wanted? Well not the puppy."

"He bought her one of those robot barking puppies actually," Will started guiding Joey out the door and towards a cheaper store. "It lasted for a week before he kicked it across the room and broke it."

"And how did Ari take that?" Joey was having a hard time getting his laughter under control.

"It happened when she was in school," Will explained with a chuckle. "He tried to convince her it ran away."

After gaining control of himself, and walking into a much more affordable store, Joey started telling Will, "As your new older brother I think we should talk about the somewhat disturbing nature of your relationship with your two of your other brothers."

Will gave Joey a painful smile, "Technically since Alex doesn't think of Adrienne as his mother I'm not connected to him in any way."

"Uh huh, sure," Joey dismissed, "Let's just cut to the chase. What the hell is going on with Sonny?"

Shaking his head slightly Will shrugged, "How the hell would I know?"

"You were married to him," Joey stated, "Shouldn't you be able to figure him out?"

"I wasn't able to figure him out for the majority of our marriage so no," Will answered finding some reasonably priced ties and picking two out. "Why don't you just ask him instead of me?"

"Because he won't talk," Joey frowned, "He just changes the subject or tries to turn it around on us."

"Look, Joey," Will turned to face him directly, "I don't know what's going on with Sonny and quite frankly I don't care. If I tried to care it would be nine months of him going around in circles dodging questions and accusing everyone else but himself of doing anything wrong. I've been there and done that. I'm not doing it anymore. Sonny isn't my problem so whatever is wrong with him why don't you try asking his boyfriend instead of me."

"So did you find anything out?" Joey asked Vic as the two watched Will and Alex walk off hand in hand.

"Well he's definitely more upset about the Sonny thing than he likes to act," Vic began, "But he also doesn't have any doubts about Will or their relationship."

"Will didn't want to talk about Sonny at all," Joey told his brother. "Which I gotta say is a relief. So tonight keep Alex and Sonny as far apart as possible?"

"Yep," Vic nodded in agreement.

"I guess we need to get back and get ready," Alex glanced at his watch. Pulling Will away from the chocolate store the two headed towards the spot to get on the bus. As they sat down Alex complained, "This isn't how I thought this trip was going to go."

Will shrugged before resting his head on Alex's shoulder, "That's usually how all vacations go. It hasn't been so bad really. Sure last night was awkward but we'll deal."

"I had all these stupid plans," Alex grumbled, "And this dumb wedding and everyone along with it are ruining it."

"Well," Will put his hand on Alex's thigh, "After they get married we can make an appearance at the reception and disappear."

"Good," Alex yanked Will closer to him, "At least my dad and uncle aren't here. Apparently they hate you the most."

Will snorted, "I just had to go and fall for someone whose family already hated me, didn't I?"

"Guess it's a good thing I don't put up with that bullshit then," Alex smirked before closing his eyes and enjoying the moment with Will before they reached their hotel.

"How many weddings have you been to?" Will asked Alex as they stood in the waiting area outside of the chapel before the wedding was set to begin.

"Beats the hell out of me," Alex answered. "I honestly thought we'd end up at Sami's next wedding before we ended up at one for Adrienne."

Barking out a laugh Will replied, "Me too to be honest. She almost laughed herself stupid when I talked to her this morning."

"As she should," Alex nodded his head. "I did everything I could think of to get out of going to your wedding I wish I didn't have to go to this one."

"That probably should have been a big clue for me," Will chuckled to himself, "The majority of both of our families didn't even show up. Probably should have seen that as a sign."

"Hmm," Alex settled both of his hands lowly on Will's hips, never a fan of talking about Will and Sonny's marriage, "That would be a good question."

Smiling at Alex Will played along, "OK then what if you came to the wedding and met me there?"

"I would have no idea who you were and would flirt with you shamelessly until someone came around to tell me you were going to marry my brother," Alex replied with a bit of a smug look.

"That would have been interesting to see," Will tried to picture it. "Actually back then I probably wouldn't have even known you were flirting with me much less paid you any attention that day."

"I would have found a way," Alex bragged.

"You two planning your own wedding?" Joey guessed as he adjusted his tie as he wandered over.

"Hell no," Alex spat out. "We're perfectly happy now why would we want to ruin that?"

Noticing the other wedding guests were starting to gather around too Will smiled at Joey, "My marriages are like my kids: one and done."

Despite Vic loudly talking in his ear Sonny couldn't help but scoff noisily when he overheard Will's comment.

Paul crossed his arms when he heard Sonny. Things had been tense between him and Sonny since Will and Alex left the strip club the night before. All Sonny kept telling Paul was that Will being with Alex made him angry. '_Well no shit_,' Paul stared at Sonny harshly, '_Now if he'd only tell me why_.'

Vic winced and tried to steer Sonny farther away from Alex. _'God this is going to be just like when we were kids_.' Vic absentmindedly rubbed a scar he had on the top of his forehead that he received once after one of Sonny and Alex's fights. '_Who knew a game board could leave that much damage when tossed across the room?'_

Joey smiled blindingly and spoke as loud as he dared, "If only the little princess was here now. She'd make a wonderful flower girl."

Alex squeezed Will's hips tightly so as not to get into it with Sonny. "Everyone thinks she's this sweet little thing but that kid is a demon let me tell you."

"You just don't like it because she's four and she outwits you," Will teased. He was doing his best to ignore Sonny and whatever problem he seemed to have today. '_Sonny doesn't matter anymore. If he wants to act like a child that's his prerogative.'_

"Pft," Alex puffed out, "I taught her everything she knows."

"Well god help us all then," Sonny mumbled loudly.

"Is there something you want to say asshole?" Alex questioned loudly. When Sonny didn't say anything else Alex rolled his eyes.

"On that joyous note I'm going to the restroom," Will patted Alex's chest before moving off, "Be right back. Behave."

Will walked into the men's room and blinked at the fancy tile and the array of cologne and products on the sink. Seeing a spot to the side with some chairs and a mirror Will frowned a bit when he saw his father and John.

"What are you two doing in here?" Will asked politely before going to do his business.

"Waiting for the wedding," Lucas shrugged as he tried not to wrinkle his suit. "Bride gets the room to get ready in. Groom gets to hang out in the toilet."

Going to wash his hands Will offered, "At least it's a fancy bathroom." After he dried his hands Will started rifling through the cologne and smelling a few. Some he put down right away and some he lingered with. He even found an expensive brand that he was certain EJ used to wear. Getting a bit nostalgic Will put it back and wandered over to his dad.

"Nervous?" Will questioned as he put his hands in his pocket.

"No," Lucas shook his head with a small smile on his lips. "No I'm completely positive this is exactly what I'm supposed to be doing."

"Well I'm glad," Will admitted. "My personal feelings aside I'm happy you're happy. And for the record I hope this marriage lasts longer than any of your other ones."

"Well I don't think that's too hard," John joked as he slapped Lucas on the back.

"Thank you," Lucas stood up and looked at Will's face, "For being here. I know that things aren't anywhere near fixed but I'm still glad you could be here."

Will shrugged, "It's not that big of a deal." _'It's only for a few more hours anyway. Then Alex and I can get back to our regular lives.'_

Will chatted for a few more minutes before heading back to the waiting area. It was too strange for him to be around so many people from his past now. He didn't quite know what to say or how to feel.

Opening the door to the men's room Will almost smacked right into Paul. "Whoops," Will said as he and Paul both awkwardly danced around each other until they each moved out of the way.

As Will turned to head back to the others Paul called after him, "Will?"

"Yeah?" Will asked apprehensively. He had done his best to get along with Paul the night before but Will wouldn't put it past Paul to act the same way Sonny was.

"Look, um," Paul scrunched his face together not sure what exactly he wanted to say, "I don't know what's going on with Sonny but I just wanted to clear things up with you. I know that you leaving Salem was partially because of me and I wanted to say that I'm sorry. That wasn't exactly my intention."

"Actually no," Paul shook his head, "That's a lie. I loved that you weren't there and I didn't have to deal with you. It's just seeing you now, seeing how put together and grown up you are, is making me a little uneasy. And seeing you around your family and not knowing how to act makes me feel like crap."

"So," Paul licked his lips, "I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry I never took the time to think about how everything affected you."

When Paul finally stopped talking Will nodded, "OK thank you for that." Rubbing his elbow up Will added, "And for the record I'm sorry I tried to do the same thing to you. And just so you know whenever I make plans now they are much more effective."

Giving Will a half smile Paul nodded, "That's good to hear." Before turning to open the door Paul couldn't stop himself from asking, "So you and Alex are really a thing?"

"Yes, Paul," Will rolled his eyes slightly. "I'm not interested in ruining your little happily ever after."

Jennifer poked her head out into the waiting area and said, "Alex can you come here please?"

Wondering why Will was taking so long and realizing he'd rather be anywhere than an enclosed space with all of his brothers Alex shrugged, "Whatever."

Following Jennifer down a long corridor and into a spacious sitting area Alex frowned when he saw Adrienne sitting down in front of a vanity staring at her reflection. '_Maybe being around my idiot brothers was the better option after all.'_

Turning around Adrienne rose to her feet when she noticed Alex. Nervously fixing the robe she was wearing Adrienne waited until Jennifer left the room again leaving her and Alex alone.

"Hi," Adrienne whispered.

Alex lifted his eyebrows up and looked around the room uncomfortably.

"I, um," Adrienne shook her head slightly, "I was thinking about the day you came back into our lives after everything that happened with your mom. And I, I realized that you're right."

"I usually am," Alex remarked, "But about what exactly?"

"About all the times you've said over the years that I've never treated you the way I treated your brothers. And I promise you that I never even realized," Adrienne felt tears lining her eyes. Waving her hands at her face she hoped she didn't let any spill over. "But you're right. From the first moment your father and I found out that you were still alive, that you and Anjelica never died in that plane crash, I resented you. When we all moved to Texas and I gave birth to Sonny a part of me thought of you as different."

"But I swear to you," Adrienne wiped furiously at her eyes, "That I loved you anyway."

Alex pressed his lips tightly together. It wasn't exactly a relief to find out that everything he always suspected ever since he was a child was true. Nor did it make him feel any better about the situation to see Adrienne crying about it. As heartless as he might have appeared he didn't exactly want her to cry on her wedding day.

"You know," Alex told her, "Is that supposed to be comforting? I was a giant mistake but you loved me anyway. That you didn't really want me around but you loved me anyway. You were glad I was dead but you loved me anyway when you were forced to take me in."

"I just," Adrienne moved closer to Alex and took his hand, "I just wanted you to know that I do love you. That even though I hated your mother more than I've ever hated anyone I learned to love you."

Seeing the way Alex turned away from her and tried to pull his hand away Adrienne held onto him with all of her strength, "Can't you understand that at all? Justin and I divorced over what happened with your mother but we reconciled. When he found out that Anjelica took you and ran off, when she made it seem like the two of you died in that plane crash, I can admit that I was relieved. Your father was devastated but I wasn't. Maybe that makes me an awful person I don't know."

"All I do know," Adrienne took a deep breath, "Is that when I first met you I didn't know what to do or how to feel. I know I should have tried harder with you, treated you the same as the other boys. But when I close my eyes and think about my family I see you. I see you and if I have to spend the rest of my life trying to make you believe that I will."

Alex exhaled loudly from his nose. Maybe he could understand having a kid you didn't want thrown at you. '_But I at least fucking try with Ari. I try to love her. I don't treat her like she's something foreign that doesn't belong_.'

Alex wasn't so hung up on his own problems that he couldn't appreciate how hard it was for Adrienne to deal with him. Alex knew he didn't make life any easier for her or his father. '_But I was a kid and that wasn't my responsibility to make them happy. They were supposed to make me feel welcome and loved or whatever bullshit they were always spewing.'_

Alex could distinctly remember all the times he grew up and he saw Adrienne showering Sonny or Joey or Vic with attention but barely having time to spare whatever picture he took a glance. Before he left on his trip to try to find his real mom Alex wondered exactly what he did that made him so different from the rest of his brothers. He couldn't understand why he was always singled out. After the trip, when he found out as much as he could about his mother and his past and the two years he was away from his father, he understood. He understood more than he ever wanted to. '_Nothing like finding out the only reason your father even acknowledged you is because he didn't want his crazy uncle raising you as his. Although considering they named one of their kids after Victor I guess they decided he wasn't so bad after all.'_

The rebellious, angry side of Alex wanted to shove Adrienne away from him. He wanted to storm out and never look back. But he stopped himself. _'Isn't this what I always wanted? For Adrienne to admit she was wrong and that she did want me around._' Despite the fact that it would be easier and probably healthier for him to reject Adrienne's apology and flimsy explanations Alex didn't.

"Not that it fixes anything," Alex informed her with only a small bit of inflection leaking through his voice. "But thank you."

Adrienne sighed loudly, her entire body visibly relaxing. "I know that you said you didn't want anything to do with me anymore," Adrienne didn't want to press her luck but she had to try, "But I want you to at least consider maybe one day letting us try to resolve things. With us and with me and Will."

"Maybe," Alex wasn't going to commit to anything but he wouldn't rule it out.

Adrienne wiped under her eyes again smiling weakly at Alex, "Just do me a favor, please? Don't treat Arianna the way I treated you."

"I wouldn't," Alex told her in a firm voice before he walked towards the door.

Alex rushed over to Will and yanked him away from Kate to talk with him in private. Standing in a corner far removed from the others Alex said, "As soon as this wedding is over we're on our own, got it?"

"OK," Will looked over Alex's face carefully. "Did something happen back there?"

"Yeah," Alex crossed his arms and sneered, "Adrienne just confirmed every little insecurity I had as a child but whatever."

"Hey," Will stepped closer to Alex and rubbed across his shoulders, "What did she say?"

"That I was right and she didn't treat me like the others," Alex replied quickly, "That even though she didn't want me she learned to love me anyway."

"What the hell?" Will choked out. "Why would she say that?"

"Apparently that was supposed to make it all better," Alex mocked, "Sorry I was happy when you were dead but eventually I realized you weren't completely awful."

"We can leave if you want," Will told him, "We don't have to stay for this if you don't want to be here."

"Oh no we're staying," Alex reached out and tilted Will's head slowly up, "Every other time in my life I would have left and never looked back. But I'm not running away this time. This time I'm staying with you by my side."

"Are you sure?" Will double checked. He didn't want Alex doing something he would regret. '_And with the way Sonny keeps acting I don't want anything starting between them.'_

"When have I ever done anything I didn't want to do?" Alex retorted before leaning down to kiss Will.

Before their lips connected Will asked, "Just promise me if we stay you won't do anything stupid."

"Whatever," Alex remarked before pushing his mouth to Will's.

Will closed his eyes and relaxed against Alex's mouth. He tried to convey every bit of support he could into the embrace. He knew how much Adrienne's treatment of him had affected him over the years. Will knew how much it must have stung to hear what he did.

"Really?" Sonny loudly complained when he looked over and saw Alex pawing at Will in the corner.

Ripping away from Will Alex rotated slightly and barked, "Can I fucking help you?"

"I don't think so," Sonny smiled at Alex pleasantly; "It looks like you're a little busy."

"And I'd be even busier if you'd keep your trap shut," Alex scowled at his youngest brother.

"It's a little hard when I can hear you all the way over here," Sonny complained tensing slightly when Paul walked over to him.

Joey and Vic tried to think of something to distract their brothers. Vic began looking around the area to make sure there weren't any sharp objects they could be throwing.

"Then stop listening," Alex smiled back at Sonny, "I hear you're really good at that."

Sonny glared at Alex, "You don't know anything."

Joey sighed loudly in relief when the doors to the chapel opened up signaling they could begin sitting down. _'Thank you Jesus_,' he thought. Desperately catching Will's eyes Joey made a sweeping motion towards the door.

Nodding at Joey Will grabbed Alex's hand and started moving him towards the doors. "Just let it go," Will mumbled under his breath shooting Sonny an annoyed look.

Seeing the way Paul was looking between Sonny and Will looking confused Alex smirked at Sonny, "Instead of listening to our conversation maybe you should be explaining to your boyfriend exactly when you found out I was with Will."

"What is he talking about?" Paul asked as Will smacked at Alex's arm. Turning to face Sonny Paul added, "Sonny?"

"Nothing," Sonny shook his head, "Let's go inside."

"Aw," Alex pouted his lips out, "You aren't going to tell him all about how I told you I was dating Will? You aren't going to tell him how you hopped on a plane and flew all the way to California to confront us? Just a little advice baby brother," Alex stopped inside the doorway to the chapel; "You should probably learn from your last relationship and stop rushing after your ex at every opportunity when you're allegedly happily taken."

Paul furrowed his eyebrows and turned to face Sonny accusingly, "Sonny, what the hell?"

Sonny opened and closed his mouth a few times trying to think of something to say. Seeing Lucas and John walking into the area and heading for the chapel Sonny knew there wouldn't be any time to explain now. "I'll, um, I'll explain after OK. Just, just not now."

Paul followed after Sonny with an angry expression on his face. _'What else has he been lying to me about this whole time?'_

Vic popped a bottle of champagne and started filling the glasses he set out on the table just outside the chapel.

"Well," Joey announced as he put his arm around Will's shoulders, "You're officially the youngest child now."

"I have a baby sister," Will reminded him.

"Oh yeah," Joey had completely forgotten. "Weird. I've never had a sister. I'm gonna need to practice my intimidation techniques."

"I don't think you need to worry quite yet," Will laughed as Alex pulled Will closer to him and away from Alex. "You've got a few years before that happens."

"So your other two siblings have a different dad though," Vic passed the drinks back out, "Right?"

"Yeah," Will shrugged, "Johnny and Sydney are EJ's and me and Allie are my dad's."

"Right," Joey tried to follow that, "But Johnny and Allie are twins still?"

"Yep," Will nodded, "Just try not to think about it so hard. It'll make sense eventually."

"But only Allie is our sister and not the little one?" Vic confirmed feeling a headache coming on from trying to work that out.

"Well," Joey raised his class up, "Cheers to our new slightly disturbing family." As everyone began drinking Joey asked, "Now where the hell did Sonny run off to now?"

"Who cares?" Alex responded with before downing the rest of his glass.

"Oh be nice," Vic ordered as he poured Alex another drink. "You and Sonny can put aside your egos for one night."

"I don't think it's his ego he wants me to put aside," Alex griped as he adjusted Will until he was practically plastered to his side.

"Fine then," Vic rolled his eyes, "You can stop rubbing Will in his face and he can stop acting like an asshole."

"I agree to nothing," Alex stated as they all began walking towards the dining room and the beginning of the reception. '_Only a few more minutes and then we're out of here_.'

Will leaned against Alex and laughed around his mouthful of food. In the short amount of time he had known Joey and Vic, despite the less than pleasant meeting, Will had come to really like them. Plus it was nice to hear embarrassing stories about Alex's childhood. '_After all the stories my mom's told Alex I've definitely earned this.'_

Alex sighed, "Yeah, yeah, yeah." Sitting up straighter Alex smiled, "How about I tell Will all about the time you two tried to sneak back into the house after your curfew and-"

"Nope," Vic practically shouted, "That's OK. We don't need to do that."

"Oh come on," Alex teased, "You were the two that climbed through the wrong window and saw Dad and Adrienne-"

"I can't hear you," Joey loudly proclaimed as he covered his hands over his ears.

Alex chuckled as he watched his brothers squabbling over a new story to tell Will. _'I guess this whole thing hasn't been an entire waste.'_

Paul crossed his arms and looked at Sonny expectantly, "Well?"

"Well what?" Sonny replied as his eyes focused somewhere near Paul's ear, trying not to look at him directly.

"What is going on with you?" Paul demanded. "I-I thought everything was fine between us, great even. But ever since we got here nothing you've done has made sense. You haven't talked to me about Will in ages and now all of a sudden I find out that you followed after him to California. That everyone knew except me. I don't understand anything that's happening."

"I don't know," Sonny spat out feeling on edge. "OK? I don't know. I don't know what I'm doing or what I'm thinking. I just, I don't know."

"Well," Paul swallowed heavily, "You better figure it out." Turning away from Sonny Paul shook his head and walked into the small reception room. '_I don't know what you're doing anymore either, Sonny_.'

When Sonny finally joined Paul at the table everyone was sitting at the conversation became tense and uncomfortable. Joey was proud that Alex was attempting to keep himself in check. He figured that probably had to do with Will murmuring into his ear every few seconds to keep him calm.

'_Unfortunately that just seems to be making Sonny angrier which seems to be making Paul angrier which just makes everything awkward_,' Joey thought as he looked between everyone.

"So," Vic stated as he took a drink, "Uh Alex, Will what are your plans after this?"

"Well we don't leave until Monday morning so we've got tonight and tomorrow to do whatever we want," Will explained. "Alex said he had some plans so I guess I'll be surprised."

"Oooh," Joey couldn't stop himself from teasing, "Are you sure you aren't getting married?"

"If that's the surprise Alex is going to be disappointed," Will laughed.

"Oh please," Alex snorted, "Like I'm dumb enough for that. No need to ruin a good thing by marrying it."

"That's a charming thing to say at a wedding reception," Vic rolled his eyes. "Glad to see a relationship hasn't changed you completely."

Will smiled at that before saying, "The only thing that's different is he lets a four year push him around."

Alex crossed his arms, "Rude. I do not let the kid do anything I don't want to do."

"He also does whatever you want," Vic pointed out. Seeing how red Sonny's face was getting Vic figured he needed to change the subject, "So, um, did you hear any feedback about the show last night?"

"Yes," Will exclaimed as Alex sunk lower in his seat. "It was so good. Ridiculously good. I'm gonna frame it good."

"That's awesome, Alex," Joey chimed in, "It's fantastic." Seeing Alex shrug off the compliments Joey rolled his eyes, "But I have a question though. How exactly do you explain the photos to Ari?"

"Oh," Will scratched the back of his head, "Well she knows Alex takes pictures of bodies she just hasn't really seen the graphic ones. I don't want her being uncomfortable with it but I also don't want her thinking it's something to be ashamed of either."

"Well I guess as long as she gets it," Vic nodded. "And doesn't see any of the pictures of you," Vic told Will with a teasing smile.

"Well she's seen me in my underwear so it's not that much of a difference," Will shrugged trying to pretend his cheeks weren't warming up but knew what Vic meant.

Paul, who had been following the conversation closely, cleared his throat and asked Will, "How did you and Alex meet?"

'_If no one else is going to give me answers maybe the two of them will_,' Paul thought to himself.

"I picked him up in a bar," Alex informed Paul quickly. He wasn't entirely sure what to make of Paul Narita. From the explanations he had gotten from Will about their tense, complicated relationship he was a bit surprised Paul was being so amiable. _'But I guess he wasn't exactly the problem in that whole mess,_' Alex glanced at Sonny curiously.

Sonny bit the side of his cheek and rolled his eyes. '_Why doesn't that surprise me_?'

"Really?" Paul was a bit surprised by that. The last time he checked Will wasn't the type to go to bars and scoop out guys.

"Yeah," Will licked his lips, "My mom convinced me to get out of the house and I somehow lucked out."

"Love at first sight?" Joey cooed while he put his hands together near his face.

"Lust at first sight would be more likely," Will admitted sheepishly. "Loving him took a bit longer than that."

"But not sleeping with him?" Sonny remarked before downing the cocktail in his glass.

Will placed his hand on Alex's thigh, not wanting him to react to Sonny. "No I guess not," Will gave the table an uncomfortable smile. "Not that anyone here wants to know but it's not exactly a secret."

"Exactly how long did you go around sleeping with him without even knowing his last name?" Sonny asked in a disbelieving tone. "Because either that was a big fat lie or you're a big fat whore."

"Wow," Vic said loudly trying to divert everyone's attention. "Isn't this dinner something?"

"Would you shut the fuck up?" Alex growled getting sick and tired of having to remain quiet while Sonny went around flapping his massive mouth.

"Isn't that what he does?" Sonny scoffed as he looked between Will and Alex. "Sleeps with anything that looks at him?"

"Hey," Will stated in a tight voice feeling completely indignant. "You don't get to talk about me like that."

"Well I would know best about that wouldn't I?" Sonny stared at Will and shook his head.

"If you don't shut your fucking mouth I swear to god Jackson wedding or no wedding I will kick your ass," Alex threatened as he threw his napkin on the table and stood up. Taking Will's hand Alex started walking them towards the door.

"Let's just get out of here," Will told Alex as they were almost to the door. Will didn't know what was wrong with Sonny or why he was acting like this. _'He's never acted like this before. It doesn't even make sense. That isn't Sonny.'_

Following after them Sonny called out, finally catching the attention of his mom and Lucas as well as all the other guests, "I guess now I know why you two like each other. You both run away from whatever problem you're facing."

"Why are you still talking?" Alex questioned before turning back to face Sonny. "Because every time you open your mouth you embarrass yourself. Everyone knows why you're doing this, why you can't just let it go. Quite frankly you're starting to look pathetic."

"So why don't you quit while you're ahead," Alex pushed Will forward a bit, "And just admit you're pissed off I stole your happy ending."

"Yeah right," Sonny moved closer to Alex, ignoring his brothers and Paul all hissing his name, "Let's see how happy you are when he starts cheating on you too."

"That isn't going to happen," Alex stated calmly, "Because unlike you I haven't given Will any reasons to doubt me or my commitment. So maybe you should own up to the fact that you're problematic behavior contributed to your marriage falling apart." Mocking slightly Alex added, "Or you were just an awful husband who couldn't keep him satisfied. Take your pick."

Everyone in the room seemed to freeze at that comment. Sonny didn't hear anything after Alex was done. All he heard was a white noise rushing through his ears completely blocking out everything but the need to shut Alex up. With a loud growl Sonny moved faster than anyone realized he could and punched Alex.

Not anticipating the hit Alex stumbled back slightly before putting his hand on his cheek and snarling. Surprising Sonny and everyone else Alex punched Sonny back just as hard. Before anyone could react the two began wailing on each other hitting every bit of flesh they could reach.

Joey and Vic scrambled over to the two and tried to break it up. Over the shouting and roaring Alex and Sonny were doing Vic and Joey were trying to get them away from each other.

Shaking himself out of his stupor Will started yelling at both of them, "Stop it!"

Paul stood perfectly still where he stood just by the chair he was sitting in. Watching Sonny attack Alex while practically foaming at the mouth made Paul think back to the time he hit Will. '_But that was for my mother. What the hell is Sonny doing this for? Himself or Will?'_

Hurrying closer Paul started shouting too hoping to jar Sonny and Alex out of whatever rage they were in.

Will was screaming at both of them as Joey and Vic each put an arm around Alex and Sonny and tried to heave them away. Will thought he heard Paul shouting something as well but he couldn't focus on that now.

When there was a bit of separation between them Alex spat at Sonny, "Not so perfect now, are you?"

Vic had to redouble his efforts just to keep a hold on Sonny when he lunged for Alex again.

"Stop it," Will demanded. When Alex and Sonny both continued to yell things at each other while they tried to fight off the arms around their waists Will put his hands in his hair. "Just knock it off," he groaned before moving in between them to keep them away from each other.

"Stay out of this Will," Sonny barked as he tried to shove Will out of the way.

"Hey," Alex snarled, "You don't get to touch him."

"Fuck you," Sonny bellowed as Paul reached out to hold onto him as well.

"Oh my god," Will screamed eyes flipping between the two, "You are both….selfish assholes!"

Looking up to see his father and Adrienne, both of his grandmothers and John as well as Jennifer and Abigail staring at him accusingly Will took a deep breath and said, "Whatever issues the two of you have learn to deal with them because I'm not putting up with it from either of you."

Glaring at both of them Will stormed through the doors and down the hall. '_This is not my fault. This is not my fault_,' Will reminded himself.

Ripping away from Joey's hold Alex ran after him, "Will?"

Not stopping Will told Alex, "I don't want to talk to you right now."

"I didn't," Alex tried to explain as he chased after Will, "I didn't mean to do that but he wouldn't shut up."

"Well you did," Will replied, "And right now I don't want to talk to you."

Putting his hand on Will's upper arm Alex turned Will to face him, "But you will talk to me later, right?"

"Yes," Will rolled his eyes and shook off Alex's hold. "I'm pissed off right now but that's it. Just let me cool off."

"Right," Alex exhaled in relief. Running his hand through his brown hair Alex closed his eyes, "For the record though I'm sorry I humiliated you."

"Thanks," Will crossed his arms. "I'm going for a walk now. Don't bother me."

Alex watched as Will walked towards a staircase and disappeared from sight. '_Son of a bitch_,' Alex groaned to himself_, 'Why can't I keep my fucking feelings in check anymore_?'

"Well," a voice from behind Alex said, "I guess that was insightful."

Turning to see Lucas Alex rolled his eyes, "Sure it was. You didn't need to see that to know Sonny and I have issues and Will's right in the middle of it."

"No definitely not," Lucas opened his eyes widely and shook his head. Putting his hand on Alex's shoulder Lucas continued, "But I did see something that I've never seen before."

"Which was?" Alex asked trying not to sound bored. He was going to listen to Will and leave him alone but Alex wanted a few strong drinks and to be alone in their hotel room waiting for him to come back. '_Not here with my weird combination of father-in-law-step-father_.'

"You stood up for Will," Lucas explained with a small smile on his face. "You completely embarrassed him in front of everyone too but you actually stood up for him. Someone was saying something rude about him and you didn't shy away."

"Why the hell would I do that?" Alex questioned not understanding the big deal. "No one's allowed to talk about him that way."

"Well unfortunately Will hasn't always had people like that in his life," Lucas clarified. "I might not know all the details about you and my son but it seems like you two might actually be good for each other." Patting Alex on the back once Lucas added, "Of course I'm still pissed you broke into a fight in the middle of my wedding reception and upset Adrienne but at least you had a good cause."

"I'd do anything for Will," Alex declared. '_Anything for Will and the kid_.'

Will sat on a bar stool and wrinkled his nose as he threw back the shot placed in front of him. "Thanks," he told the bartender before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Will was content sitting by himself while thinking about everything that happened.

He knew that sooner or later the rising problems between Alex and Sonny would explode he just really wished it wasn't during the wedding. '_And that it wasn't because Sonny thinks I'm a big slut_,' Will pursed his lips. He really didn't understand what Sonny was doing anymore. _'I guess the last month he didn't start getting used to the idea of me and Alex like I hoped.'_

When someone sat down next to him at the bar Will was tempted to tell the person to beat it when he noticed who it was. "You've got to be kidding me, right? Go away," Will hissed.

"No," Sonny argued, "We need to talk."

"Talk about what, Sonny?" Will shrugged, "I get it. Me being with Alex is weird for you but that doesn't mean you get to treat either of us the way you have been."

"That's, ugh, that's not what I want to talk about," Sonny shook his head, "I want to talk about us."

"There isn't an us anymore," Will pointed out, "You wanted a divorce and you wanted to be with Paul. So I don't understand why you're so worked up now. You got everything that you wanted so what can you possibly be upset about now?"

"Why does it have to be Alex, huh?" Sonny spat at Will angrily. "There are millions of men in California and you magically managed to get my brother. The brother that doesn't believe in long-term relationships and I didn't even know liked guys! How are you even with him?"

"I don't know," Will fired back. "I didn't even know he was your brother when I met him. I didn't go out of my way to meet him. I wasn't expecting to meet anyone but I did. And I'm not going to justify being with Alex to you."

"Of every single thing you have ever done to hurt me," Sonny snarled at Will, "This one is the worse."

Will smacked his hand on the bar, "This has nothing to do with you so you can take your attitude and shove it." Pulling out a few bills Will tossed them on the countertop and got up to leave.

"I literally cannot understand how this happened," Sonny followed after Will.

"I really don't care what you think," Will informed Sonny as he moved towards the elevators. "Leave me alone."

"No," Sonny insisted, "I want to know why you're with Alex and I want to know now."

"I'm with Alex because I love him," Will rounded on Sonny and poked him in the chest. "Because I met him and he made me feel good about myself. He helped me learn how to be happy. What I want to know is why you have such a problem with that, huh? You had already moved on to Paul before we were even divorced so what gives you the right to be upset about me doing the same thing."

"Because," Sonny claimed, "Because you, you can't do that with my brother. OK, my brother. You can't take everything that was meant for me and give it to him."

"Oh my god," Will stared at Sonny incredulously. "I cannot believe this."

Sonny crossed his arms and looked away from Will.

"You cannot be serious," Will growled. "This-this is ridiculous. You're the one that asked for a divorce. You're the one that left and never came back. You're the one who abandoned the little girl you allegedly thought of as a daughter."

"She is my daughter," Sonny shouted furiously.

"No she isn't," Will fired back. "If you ever once cared about her as much as you claim you did you wouldn't have stayed away from her."

"I had to," Sonny hissed. "I knew if I didn't stay away you would have tried to suck me back in."

"You are unbelievable," Will maintained before standing up straighter and looking Sonny in the eyes. "If you loved Ari you would have been there. You would have done anything you could to see her. You wouldn't have ignored her for a month and not even bother to find her when we left."

"I didn't find her because I knew you were just using her to get to me," Sonny snorted, "That you wanted me to chase after you and bring you back."

"Oh my god," Will groaned as he ran his hands through his hair and turned his back on Sonny. Heading for the elevators again Will shook his head, "I might have done some horrible things in my life but using my daughter is not one of them. I left because there wasn't anything or anyone left in that town that cared. I wasn't going to let Ari be raised under that type of influence."

"You had no right to just leave," Sonny complained as he followed after Will again, "Not after everything you did to me."

"Do you know what it was like for her, for Ari, when you left?" Will glared at Sonny. "Do you know what it was like having her crying and screaming and begging for you? Do you know what it feels like having your child sobbing herself to sleep every night because one of her father's couldn't be bothered to see her? Do you know how disgusting it made me feel knowing that there was absolutely nothing I could do to make her feel better because you wouldn't answer any of my calls?"

Sonny took a few steps backwards away from Will's shouts. He hadn't considered what might have happened to lead Will to leaving Salem. He had been so certain that it was Will scheming and plotting once again. '_And I never once thought about what staying away did to Ari. Oh god, what is wrong with me?'_

"Do you know how long it took for Ari to be able to sleep in her own bed at night?" Will had to take a few deep breaths to calm himself down. "I was so fucking happy the day she stopped asking for you. I wanted to celebrate when she started forgetting you."

"Don't say that," Sonny closed his eyes, face falling. He knew he hadn't been there for Ari the way he should have. He was so caught up trying to move on from Will he didn't stop to think who might have been moving on from him.

Not caring if he was being insensitive Will informed Sonny, "She hated Alex at first, hated him. She scratched his face the first time she met him. I thought he was going to leave and never come back. But he didn't. And now I have my own family. She loves him and he loves her and we're-"

"Shut up," Sonny shouted moving closer to Will. "Just shut up! That isn't your family and it isn't his. It's mi-" Sonny cut himself off and looked at the floor.

Will scoffed, "No. No you do not get to do this."

"I'm not-" Sonny argued.

Will shook his head, "You do not get to be jealous now."

"I'm not jealous," Sonny grumbled indignantly accidentally biting his split lip.

Will scoffed and shook his head, "You know I've never once seen you like this before. I've never heard you talk that way or get that look on your face. I had no idea this is what jealousy looked like on you."

"I'm not-" Sonny tried to say before getting cut off.

"And I always figured you just didn't feel that way," Will continued as if Sonny never said anything at all, "That you didn't know how or you just didn't care enough or maybe there was something wrong with me. All of those reasons are bullshit though."

"Will-" Sonny sighed really not wanting to have this conversation.

"But here we are," Will shrugged, " And I still don't think I understand." Will looked at Sonny's face, really looked at him, "How can you be jealous now that we're over but not when we were married? For god's sake Sonny I had sex with Paul and you didn't even care."

"Yes I did," Sonny hissed. "How can you even say that? Do you know how much that hurt me?"

"I know how much it hurt you," Will replied lifting his eyebrows, "But that's not what I'm talking about."

"What are you even saying then?" Sonny wasn't following anything. This isn't how this was supposed to go.

Stepping closer to Sonny Will said, "I am saying that you didn't care at all that I slept with Paul. You weren't jealous at all that he put his hands all over your husband. That he kissed me and touched me everywhere."

"Stop talking," Sonny ordered grinding his teeth together.

"No," Will shook his head, "You clearly haven't gotten over anything so let's talk about it now. Let's talk about how the great love of your life cradled my face, pushed me on his bed and fucked me."

"I'm not listening to this," Sonny stated but didn't turn away from Will.

"That when it was over he rubbed his hands all over my chest telling me how amazing my writing was and how I was going to write a perfect article," Will added a bit cruelly, "And he asked me, just like you did a hundred times, if I slept with him to get my story. And you wanna know what he said then?"

Sonny didn't. He really, really did not want to know. He had done his best since he found out to not know any of these things.

"He asked me to prove it," Will smiled sardonically, "To prove that I wanted to be with him because I wanted him and not to get dirt on him. You want to guess what kind of proof he wanted?"

When Sonny didn't react Will answered, "He kissed me again and again and the only reason we stopped was because someone was knocking on the door. You."

"All of that happened," Will stared at Sonny, "And the only thing you cared about was that Paul slept with someone that wasn't you."

"Shut up," Sonny growled stepping away from Will. "Just shut up!"

"Why?" Will asked lightly. "If you're as over me as you said you were then it shouldn't matter. Or do you just not like hearing about Paul that way? Because I can tell you about the second time he tried to sleep with me if you want."

"No," Sonny could still feel the adrenaline from his fight with Alex pumping in his veins. He could feel the ache in his knuckles and the bruises on his stomach forming. His lip still smarted each time he stretched his mouth too wide. "I don't want to hear about you with anyone. God, Will, can't you see what this is doing to me?"

"I'm just saying it is pretty damn hypocritical of you to be throwing a jealous fit now when you never cared at all before," Will shrugged.

Sonny rounded on Will and started walking him backwards until Will's back was pressed against a wall. "I don't want to see you with someone else," Sonny told Will in a low voice. "I don't want to see anyone else touch you or kiss you or, or do anything with you."

"It's not up to you," Will informed Sonny not liking the look in Sonny's eyes.

Sonny put his hands on either side of Will's head boxing him in. "Yes it is," Sonny stated as his eyes swept over Will's face. Without any other warning Sonny angled his head and leaned forward.

Inhaling sharply through his nose Will moved his hands and pushed Sonny away from him harshly, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I," Sonny didn't know. He had absolutely no idea what he was doing or thinking.

"God," Will complained. "This is ridiculous. I am with Alex. You are with Paul."

"You think I don't know that," Sonny spat out, "I know!"

"Then act like it," Will ordered. "You got everything you ever wanted. And I grew up. OK, I left and grew up. So I don't know what you want from me anymore."

Sonny crossed his arms and hunched his shoulders together.

Will lowered his voice slightly, "I am always going to be sorry for hurting you. But I'm not sorry for moving on with my life."

"Why are you happy and confident with him and you never were with me?" Sonny asked in a small voice. "What did he do that I didn't do? Why can you not kiss someone when you slept with two other people when you were with me? What is it about me?"

"It's," Will looked down, "It's not completely about you, Sonny. It was me too. It was the both of us together. We're not good for each other."

Will went to walk away when he turned back to Sonny, "Maybe it's time for you to really moved on too."

Will stepped out of the elevator and headed towards the reception once again. He wasn't entirely sure if he was going to be very welcome after what happened but he needed to apologize to his dad and Adrienne. '_So much for not ruining their wedding_.'

"Look who's back," Joey loudly proclaimed as he wandered over towards Will with his arms outstretched. "I was just saying this party was getting boring. Now that you're here everything will be much more entertaining."

Will accepted Joey's hug and replied, "Unfortunately unless your mom feels like slapping me I don't think I'll be of much use."

"I wouldn't do that," Adrienne said behind Will. The second she saw Will walk into the room she knew she needed to speak to him. When Will turned around and caught her eye Adrienne shrugged, "Again."

"Um," Will bit his lower lip, "I'm really sorry about what happened. That wasn't what I thought would happen so I'm very sorry if I ruined anything."

"It wasn't you," Adrienne assured him. She still wasn't entirely pleased that another son was with Will Horton but she could see how sincere he was. "Alex and Sonny have always been like that, contentious. They used to fight over everything. I should have known that eventually this would have happened."

"I didn't want that to happen today," Will sighed. "I tried to keep Alex calm but you know how he is."

"I do," Adrienne nodded. "Just like I know how Sonny is and how the two react to each other. It would have happened eventually. But thank you."

"I didn't want you to think that I did this on purpose," Will explained.

"I might have thought that before," Adrienne admitted, "But I'm starting to see that you and Alex are serious about each other. And I know I've made mistakes with Alex, that I've hurt him. I know that his problems with Sonny are mostly my fault but I want to try to do better."

"Well," Will told her honestly, "I wouldn't expect to make a lot of progress right away. If it happens at all it'll be a slow journey."

"Right," Adrienne exhaled. Reaching out to pat Will's forearm Adrienne said, "Just do me a favor, please? Just make sure Alex is happy."

"He is happy," Will promised her, "Maybe not at this exact moment but he is. With me and with Ari and I'm not going to do anything to change that."

"Good," Adrienne gave Will a small smile before walking back over to her husband, "I hope that you don't."

"Well," Joey who had been standing behind Will the whole time, "That was weird for me. Was it weird for you?"

Alex leaned against the door to his hotel room as he sat on the floor. _'I really should have brought my own key_,' he thought as he lightly banged his head on the door. Seeing someone stumbling down the hall Alex closed his eyes, '_Of fucking course_.'

Sonny headed towards his hotel room tripping slightly over his feet. Spotting Alex sitting on the ground a few doors away Sonny moved over and slumped to the floor next to him.

Alex opened his eyes and tilted his head up to look at the ceiling.

Sonny put his hand to his sore lip and said, "You remember the first time you gave me a black eye?"

"You were complaining all your friends were getting into fights at school except for you," Alex replied easily. In a derisive tone Alex added, "Because everyone liked you oh so much."

"And you told me not everyone," Sonny nodded, "So you punched me in the eye. Mom threw a fit."

"Of course she did," Alex crossed his arms, "I hurt her precious baby."

"But the next day at school everyone thought I was so cool," Sonny smiled slightly at the memory. "That someone so much older hit me." Inhaling and exhaling a few times Sonny turned to face Alex, "That's always been the two of us though. We might not get along all the time but you end up looking out for me in the end."

"I just wanted to hit you," Alex stated not admitting to anything else.

"We've never gotten along, Alex," Sonny said in a quiet voice. "We've always argued and disliked each other but deep down we care."

"Oh god," Alex rolled his eyes, "We aren't talking about our feelings. You're my brother and I love you but that doesn't mean I have to like you. Let's just leave it at that."

"I just don't understand how you can do this," Sonny pulled his knees closer to his chest. "You've always done pretty crappy things but not like this. So what is it? One final thing for you to hold over my head."

"This has nothing to do with you," Alex groaned. He had very little patience for Sonny on a regular day. "I didn't go out of my way to date your ex-husband. Believe it or not but that's not something I look for in a potential date."

"How am I supposed to believe it was a coincidence?" Sonny wondered.

"Believe what you want," Alex shrugged. "I met him and I wanted him. I got to know him and his daughter and I didn't want to run in the opposite direction. I found out who he was and I was terrified he was going to be the one to leave me, OK."

Sonny felt uncomfortable hearing this, hearing Alex sound so sincere about everything.

"When I met him he was a fucking mess and I didn't care," Alex continued unconsciously. He wasn't normally one to talk about his feelings but he couldn't get himself to shut up. "I watched as he went from this sad, insecure shell into a sexy, confident man. And I'm not going to break up with him. Will and Ari, they might have been your life in the past but they aren't anymore."

"Now they're yours?" Sonny asked feeling confused. "I just, Alex, this isn't like you."

"I know that," Alex loudly explained. "I know it isn't and it used to fucking piss me off and terrify me but now it doesn't. It took a while to adapt but I have and I'm not going anywhere."

"Why?" Sonny couldn't reconcile the fact that someone felt that way about Will. That while he was in Salem thinking that Will was somewhere mourning the loss of him Will was off building a life with someone else.

"Because I'm in love with him," Alex forced out through his clenched jaw. He didn't have any problems admitting he loved Will. He did have a problem having to explain why especially to Sonny. "That what you want to hear or do you need a list of reasons?"

"No," Sonny weakly shook his head before resting it in the palm of his hands. After sitting in silence for a few minutes Sonny asked, "And Ari?"

Alex blinked a few times before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yeah her too."

"Alex," Sonny stated, "I tried to kiss your boyfriend."

"You are so lucky your face is already fucked up right now," Alex threatened weakly.

"You aren't going to ask what happened." Sonny didn't know what to make of that.

"I don't need to. I know Will," Alex sat up straighter against the door, "You stalked him down. He tried to leave. You pissed him off and tried to kiss him and he rejected you."

"You aren't at all concerned that he would be tempted?" everything confused Sonny now.

"I trust him," Alex retorted. "He wouldn't do that especially not with you."

"Right," Sonny sighed, "Especially not with me."

"I'm not giving you a pep talk," Alex told him. "So don't ask for one."

"You really are with Will, aren't you?" Sonny questioned while biting his lip.

"I told you last month I was. I don't know why you don't believe it," Alex shrugged. "And I don't understand why you're acting like this when you're the one that left Will. You left him and the kid and you already had a guy lined up waiting for you."

"I know," Sonny admitted. "I just, I always thought Will was going to be there. That I would get to see him and he, he could see me with Paul and know exactly what he lost."

"You wanted to punish him?" Alex was shocked Sonny would ever admit to such a less than perfect thought. "Or did you just want him to be alone forever while you got everything you ever wanted?"

"I never really thought about it," Sonny admitted. "I just, I really thought that Will leaving was to get my attention. That when I got your call it was for me too."

"He grew up," Alex told Sonny firmly, "He's not the same as he was before and neither are you."

"Why, um, I know why I'm mad at you but why are you mad at me?" Sonny wasn't sure he could figure out what Alex was thinking.

"Well I punched you because you were an asshole," Alex reminded him. "But besides that I'm pissed off at you for what you did to Will."

"What did I do?" Sonny shook his head. "I kept giving him chances and he kept blowing them."

"Telling him you're giving him a chance and giving absolutely no effort besides demeaning him is not actually giving him a chance," Alex pointed out. "I've been saying it for two decades now but you aren't perfect. You fucked Will over just like he fucked you over. Not to mention you traumatized the kid."

"So," Alex added, "You didn't see them when I met them both. And it's taken fucking months but they are in a good place, both of them. I'm not going to let you hurt either of them again."

"Right," Sonny didn't know what else to say.

"While you're at it," Alex couldn't help but remark, "Why don't you spend time with your own damn boyfriend instead of bothering mine?"

Sonny knew he was making a mess of everything. He knew that he had brushed Paul off the entire trip and then ran away from him after his altercation with Alex. '_God I can't believe I did that at mom's wedding.'_

"You are never going to get over Will," Alex said surprising even himself, "If you don't actually deal with everything."

"Yeah," Sonny agreed. "I know." After a few beats Sonny said, "I'm sorry I hit you."

"I'm not sorry I hit you," Alex replied automatically.

"That sounds about right," Sonny nodded before standing up. "I think this has been enough brotherly bonding to last us a few years."

"Agreed," Alex watched as Sonny headed into his own room. Leaning his head back against the door Alex waited for Will to show up.

Will headed back out of the reception, having successfully apologized to his father and Adrienne both, he knew it was time to go find Alex.

"Will?" a voice near the elevator called.

'_I am really getting sick and tired of talking to people_,' Will thought to himself before facing Paul. "Yeah?"

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Paul wondered.

"I guess," Will shrugged as he stepped into the elevator when it opened.

Following after Will Paul said, "I, um, I know that we already cleared the air and what not but I wanted to tell you something. You used to drive me crazy with how you constantly thought I was going after Sonny. And yeah a lot of the time I was going after him but when I told you I wasn't you always argued me on it."

"Is this going somewhere?" Will cut Paul off.

"Yes," Paul licked his lips, "I never understood how you must have been feeling. Sonny was supposed to be yours but he kept following after me and brushing you off. And now I know how that feels."

"Not a lot of fun is it?" Will raised his eyebrows at Paul when the elevator opened again. Will frowned a bit when Paul followed after him still.

"I know this is probably all kinds of inappropriate but do you have any advice?" Paul asked miserably.

Stopping when Paul did outside of a hotel room Will replied, "Confront him and make him talk. Otherwise it just gets worse." Looking further down the hall Will noticed Alex sitting on the floor and smiled, "Goodbye, Paul."

"Bye, Will," Paul answered before opening his door.

Kicking at Alex's foot with his shoe Will gave him a small smile when Alex opened his eyes.

"Hey," Will told him as Alex scrambled to his feet and Will pulled out the key card.

Following Will inside after he unlocked the door Alex headed straight for the little refrigerator that he stuck ice in that morning. He didn't realize his knuckles hurt so badly but he shouldn't have been surprised. '_Sonny's always had a big, fat head_.'

Will watched as Alex placed his hand in a bucket of ice before patting the spot next to him on the bed. The two sat in silence for a few minutes. The only sound was the ice hitting the side of the bucket when Alex moved his hand.

"You should put some of that on your face too," Will commented as he looked at Alex's chin and the dark mark spreading across it.

Alex shrugged, "Maybe I'll leave it. It'll make me look rugged or something."

"Right," Will rolled his eyes. "I'm sure that's what it'll look like."

"I didn't mean to fuck things up earlier," Alex divulged after a few moments. "I just, the way he was talking to you and about you, I couldn't stand it."

"Yeah," Will scratched at his neck before turning to face Alex. "I know. And I know that he hit you first but I still didn't want to see you attacking each other."

"What choice did I have?" Alex said in an impassioned tone. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you that no one is allowed to talk to you like that. OK? You're too fucking special for that bullshit. And I'm especially not going to take it from my dumbass brother who just so happens to be the asshole that helped make you so fucked up in the first place."

Frowning slightly at the speech Will sighed, "I get it. OK, I do. And I get that the fight wasn't completely over me either."

"It was mostly over you," Alex replied in a slightly subdued voice. "It just drives me crazy that anyone could think anything bad about you. That they'd think they could get away with it."

Will moved closer to Alex and put his head on his shoulder, "You're kind of sweet when you aren't cursing every other word."

"You take that back," Alex demanded.

"Nope," Will held onto Alex's upper arm, "You were being protective and it's sweet."

"Someone had to," Alex gave up and sighed. "I just don't want anyone getting to you the way they would before. I don't want you turning back into that person I first met. I like you the way you are now."

"Thanks," Will smiled. "I like me better now too. And it's partly because of you that I was able to get to this point."

"I just complimented your ass a lot," Alex told Will, "And fucked you silly."

"That's not all you did and you know it," Will closed his eyes, "You treated me in a way no one ever has before."

"Like a caveman?" Alex guessed.

"Well, partially," Will chuckled before opening his eyes and sitting up to stare at him. "But mostly like a person that was worth something. I've had people look at me my whole life like they're just waiting for me to screw up. As if it was inevitable that I would do something wrong. You've never treated me like that."

"Why would I?" Alex questioned. "You've never done anything to make me think otherwise. You've only been honest with me."

"It meant a lot," Will admitted quietly, "God the first night we were together I was absolutely certain you had to be drunk or something to take me home with you. Of all the other guys in that bar why would I catch your attention? But over those first few months we were together I started to see. I don't know," Will lifted one shoulder up, "I guess I started to see that I was worth a lot more than I ever thought before."

"That's because you are," Alex replied in a firm tone leaving no room for arguing.

Will kissed Alex on the cheek quickly, "And don't think I haven't noticed how protective you are of Ari either. I saw that look on your face when Adrienne and my dad were looking at her pictures this morning."

"Uh huh," Alex grunted trying to change the subject, "So, Sonny tried to kiss you?"

"Yes," Will groaned. "It's amazing that everyone always told me how put together he was and now he's the one that's the mess." Taking a moment to organize his thoughts Will added, "I told him about how Ari reacted when he left and how mad I was at him. He got upset when I said you, Ari and I were a family now."

Alex smirked proudly, "That's right we are and brother or not I'm not letting him ruin that."

"You must have talked to him then," Will looked at Alex expectantly.

"Yeah," Alex shrugged. "Talked some stuff out. I think when I hit him I finally knocked some sense into him."

"I hope so," Will answered. While he wasn't in love with Sonny anymore he didn't wish him any ill will either. All this time Will thought Sonny was happily living his life with Paul. '_I hope he can figure out what he wants and move on for real.'_

"Are you still pissed at me?" Alex asked Will as he took his hand out of the ice and flexed it.

"Not really," Will admitted. "I understand why you did it even if I don't like it."

"I'll try not to hit anyone else," Alex assured Will, "Or at least not hit Sonny. Unless he deserves it. Then I can't control myself."

"I guess that's as good as I'm gonna get from you, huh?" Will shook his head looking at Alex with a small smile. "Come here, let me see."

Will reached out for Alex's freezing hand. Gently touching the scraped and bruised knuckles Will lifted Alex's hand up and kissed it softly. "All better?" Will teased.

"All better," Alex stated as he leaned down to kiss Will.

Will yanked away from Alex when Alex put his icy hand on Will's neck. "Gah," Will shouted as he shivered and moved away from Alex.

"Sorry," Alex laughed as he lay down on the bed.

Keeping an eye on Alex's hand Will crawled next to him.

After a few moments Alex licked his lips and asked, "So you're completely over Sonny, right?"

Will scrunched his face together in surprise. He didn't think that was ever a question Alex needed to have asked. Sitting up slightly Will looked over Alex's face and was startled to see the tiny crinkle in his brow. Usually Alex looked completely relaxed and calm.

Reaching out to smooth over Alex's forehead Will smiled, "I am one hundred percent over Sonny. Just like I am one hundred percent in love with you."

This would be the part where Alex would say something sarcastic and try to get Will out of his clothes. But Alex couldn't find it in him this time. Instead Alex just looked up quietly at Will and tried his best not to blink.

Feeling oddly charmed by Alex's rare display of vulnerability Will traced his fingertips down Alex's face and over the bridge of his nose. Gently brushing over the bruise on his chin Will drew his fingers along Alex's neck and behind his ears. Smiling when Alex closed his eyes Will continued drawing shapes along his skin.

"You want to know the moment I knew I was completely gone for you?" Alex questioned quietly with his eyes still closed.

"Yeah," Will pressed his lips together as his fingers dipped behind Alex's neck.

"_Hey," Will smiled widely at Alex when he opened the door. "I should just get you a key. I almost didn't hear you ring the bell."_

_Alex shrugged before putting one hand behind Will's ear and pulling him into a kiss. Smiling when he felt Will relax into his grip Alex pulled back and said, "Hey."_

"_Mom," Johnny yelled behind them. "Will's kissing in the doorway again!"_

"_Oh shut up," Will laughed as he took Alex's hand and pulled him inside._

_Almost immediately Will got yanked away from Alex by one of his sisters. Sami, shoving a pile of plates into Alex's arms, barked, "Be useful."_

_Rolling his eyes Alex set the table wondering what they were having for dinner tonight. Without being asked he started gathering juice boxes for the kids and wine glasses for the adults. Looking over his shoulder to see Will helping Allie with her homework Alex had to bit on his lip to stop from grinning like an idiot. _'Ugh, get a grip you idiot_.'_

_Seeing Sami busy with dinner and Johnny and Sydney playing a video game Alex wondered where Ari was. Walking up the stairs Alex figured he might as well call her down for dinner. '_It takes her twenty minutes anyway.'

_Fist held up to knock, Alex rapt on the door before walking inside._

"_Dinner's almost ready, kid," Alex told Ari feeling oddly relieved now that he saw her._

"_Wait," Ari replied before Alex had time to leave. "Come play to me."_

"_With me," Alex couldn't stop himself from correcting her, "Come play with me."_

_Giving Alex a sharp glare Ari shoved two Ken dolls at him, "Play."_

_Sitting down cross legged on the ground Alex felt uncomfortable holding the toys. "Play what?" he asked._

"_Play," Ari ordered loudly giving no further instructions. Grabbing her own blonde haired Barbie Ari pretended she was walking and chatted absently to Alex's dolls._

_A few uncomfortable minutes later Alex tossed the toys to the floor when he heard Sami bellowing that dinner was ready. Standing up Alex observed as Ari slowly stood up as well._

_Tugging on Alex's shirt Ari made him stop. Pushing her bare toes into the plush carpet in her room Ari looked at Alex and asked, "Do you love my daddy?"_

_Lifting his eyebrows high into the air Alex wasn't sure what to say. He knew the answer but he hadn't even told Will that yet. "Um," Alex licked over his lips, "What do you think?"_

_Narrowing her eyes Ari answered, "You love him. You get that dumb look when you see him. You smile at him."_

_Exhaling Alex shrugged, "Yeah, yeah I do."_

"_Are you gonna leave him?" Ari demanded putting her hands on her hips trying to mimic her grandma._

"_I wasn't planning on it," Alex admitted. "But I don't know."_

"_No," Ari stomped her foot. "You love him that means you stay. You are not leaving Daddy."_

"_OK-" Alex attempted to say._

"_No," Ari insisted, "No hurting Daddy and no hurting Ari. You won't leave, ever. Got it?" Not giving Alex a chance to respond Ari flounced out of her bedroom, long blonde hair bouncing with every step she took._

_Slowly making his way out of the bedroom Alex stopped when he hear Will talking to Ari on the staircase._

"_Go wash your hands," Will ordered before kissing the top of Ari's head. Continuing up the stairs Will smiled when he saw Alex, "Sorry I got dragged into an impromptu English lesson." Seeing the strange look on Alex's face Will wondered, "Are you OK?"_

_Alex nodded as his eyes traced over every inch of Will he could see. He tried to imagine leaving Will now. He knew it would probably be easier in the long run. He could go back to the way he was before dating a different person each week, never getting too attached. _'I wouldn't have to deal with overbearing mother-in-laws and loud, time consuming children.'

"_Alex?" Will put his hand on Alex's chest starting to get a bit concerned._

_Shaking his head Alex dug his fingers into the back of Will's scalp, feeling his blonde hair tickling his skin. '_I wouldn't get this anymore either_,' Alex thought as he tipped Will's head backwards. _'I wouldn't see these eyes or feel these lips. I wouldn't get to see how brightly he blushes when I compliment him. I wouldn't get that feeling in my stomach I get when he laughs at me or sees one of my pictures. I wouldn't get to hear that tiny voice calling me Al or asking me to play with her.'

_Before Will had a chance to question Alex again Alex dipped his head down and kissed Will firmly. Working his mouth against Will's Alex closed his eyes. '_I don't want to lose any of those things. Fuck, I'd even miss Sami and everyone else._' Alex didn't care that Will was once married to his brother or that half his own family probably hated Will._

_Ripping away from Will's mouth Alex knocked their foreheads together, "I love you."_

_Recovering from the kiss Will shakily put his hands on Alex's shoulders feeling a bit stunned. "I love you too," Will smiled at Alex before kissing him again wrapping his arms around Alex's neck._

"_Will, Alex, get your butts down here," Sami shouted._

_Pulling away Will smiled dopily at Alex as he pulled him down the stairs._

_As they sat down at the table Sami looked at them suspiciously seeing the matching dumb grins on their faces, "You better not have been doing what I think you were doing."_

"That's seriously how you knew?" Will laughed breezily at the memory. "Because Ari told you that you weren't allowed to leave?"

"Who else?" Alex opened his eyes and gave a small smile to Will. "Still true though. I'm not leaving you or Ari ever."

Author's note:

Please review and let me know what you thought about that chapter.

Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

Will yawned and stretched as he stepped out of the car. "Ugh," Will groaned as his back popped loudly, "Why does coming back always seem longer than when you first drive there?"

"Next time we go anywhere I'm doping you and sticking you on a plane," Alex threatened as he stretched his legs.

"Aren't you the sweetest?" Will reached back in the car and pulled out his coffee.

"Quit insulting me," Alex shot back as he walked over to the passenger side of the car and leaned next to Will. They had a few more minutes before preschool let out and they were hoping to surprise Ari.

They had a late night and barely made it out of the hotel before they were due to check out. After the disastrous wedding Alex had gone out of his way to make sure they didn't run into anyone else they knew the rest of the trip and without their family butting in the two had a fantastic rest of their trip.

Hearing the bell ring Will smiled as he saw the line of preschoolers coming to the gate ready to be picked up. Hand in hand with Alex Will wandered through the parking lot over to the entrance. It had been the longest he'd been away from Ari since she was a baby. Even though, for the most part, he enjoyed their trip he still missed his daughter.

Ari, holding a turtle arts and crafts project in her hands, assumed her grandma was going to pick her up again. She knew her daddy and Alex would be back sometime today but she didn't know when. Playing with her turtle Ari wasn't paying much attention until the teacher called her name and she started skipping past the gate.

Will winced slightly when Ari caught sight of him and screamed at the top of her lungs. _'My ears_,' he thought before handing his coffee to Alex just in time because Ari, giant princess backpack and all, hopped right into his arms and latched onto him.

"Daddy!" Ari shouted as she clung to his neck, legs wrapped around his waist.

"Miss me?" Will asked a bit unnecessarily. "Because I missed you," Will replied as he waved to Ari's teacher and started across the parking lot.

"I missed you! I missed you! I missed you!" Ari rambled as she refused to let Will go.

Alex watched the two carefully and immediately scowled when Will looked over at him to keep up appearances. He didn't want to admit it but ever since his talk with Adrienne before the wedding he wanted to see Ari more than anything. '_Well, almost more than anything_,' Alex amended.

After the short car ride home, with Ari chattering on about her long weekend without them, Will opened Ari's door and took her backpack for her. "You know who else missed you this weekend?" Will lifted his eyebrows up at Ari and gestured with his head towards Alex who was opening the trunk and pulling out their bags.

Ari climbed out of the car and walked over to Alex. Without looking at Alex or Will, Ari tightly hugged Alex's leg.

Looking down in confusion Alex frowned at Ari holding him. Pretending that he couldn't see Will grinning at him Alex patted Ari's head and said, "You OK?"

"You came back," Ari whispered sounding slightly awed.

"Of course I did," Alex sighed before reaching for Ari's elbows and lifting her in the air. Tossing her over his shoulder so she was upside down Alex took both suitcases in hand and headed for the door. "I told you I wasn't leaving," Alex reminded her as Ari sputtered and protested, "Face it kid. You're stuck with me."

* * *

"What are you two doing?" Will walked down the stairs with the laundry basket and frowned at the matching frustrated expressions on Ari and Alex's faces.

Tossing a pencil on the table Alex ran his hands through his hair, "You teach your daughter to read. I can't take it anymore."

"I haven't learned that sound," Ari replied indignantly. "I only just started!"

"It's not that hard. I told you a thousand times," Alex shook his head. "You should be able to remember."

Will put the laundry basket on the table and rolled his eyes. "Why don't you just both take a break and practice later," Will kissed the top of Ari's head. Watching her hop off of her chair and tear off towards her play room Will took her seat and stared at Alex.

Seeing Will's accusatory expression Alex sighed, "What? I don't know why you make me do this. This shit is your area."

"Because it's good for both of you," Will explained easily. Looking at the practice book they were reading Will smiled at Alex, "And you didn't want to do the laundry so you got homework duty instead."

"I am so dumb sometimes," Alex easily answered while crossing his arms. Glancing at the time Alex smirked, "If she gets play time does that mean I get play time?"

Letting Alex pull him onto his lap Will smiled, "You're just going to have to wait until she goes to bed."

"That kid is the worst thing that ever happened to my sex life," Alex grumbled.

"You are so considerate and supportive," Will told him in a sickly sweet voice as he rubbed their noses together.

Alex grunted before putting his hands on Will's face and kissing him. With the sound of Ari talking to her toys in her play room Alex relaxed against Will's lips. He could wait until tonight.

* * *

"Why do I have to do this?" Ari complained as she pushed her pink stool in front of the sink. "None of my friends do this. I asked them," Ari shot over her shoulder to her daddy.

Will finished putting all the leftovers into some plastic Tupperware and shoving it in the refrigerator. "Because you're learning about responsibilities and how to contribute," Will answered as he stood next to her and watched as she filled the sink with water.

"Plus neither of us want to do it," Alex grinned as he handed her the last of the plates. "And it's not like you do any work. You rinse them off and put them in the dishwasher. Quit complaining."

"Hmph," Ari huffed as she started putting the plates in the dishwasher.

"Aren't you supposed to be doing something right now?" Will leaned against the cabinet and smiled at Alex pleasantly.

"Ugh," Alex grabbed the sanitizing wipes and started cleaning off their table.

"If I have to do work so do you," Ari stuck her tongue out at Alex.

"And do you know what we're doing after we're all done here?" Will patted Ari on the back, "Going through your toys." Even though his back was facing Alex Will just knew he was going to say something rude, "And before you open your mouth behave or I'll make you go through yours too."

Snapping his mouth shut Alex hurriedly wiped the table clean. He wasn't risking his toys for anything.

* * *

"You do not need ten blonde Barbies," Alex sighed as he tried to put a few into the donate pile.

"What are you doing?" Ari snatched them both back. "You can't get rid of Doctor Barbie or Surfer Barbie."

"Newsflash," Alex moved until he was in Ari's face, "It's the same Barbie."

"Daddy," Ari shrieked indignantly.

"Why don't you just keep the outfits and get rid of the actual dolls?" Will tried to compromise. Between Alex and Ari it was a wonder they were getting anything done. '_I know they're just arguing now for the sake of arguing.' _

"Why do you only have blonde ones anyway?" Alex shook his head as he grabbed another bin full of toys and started going through it. "What have you got against brunettes?"

Ari wrinkled her nose at the word, not knowing what it meant, "I like blondes. I'm the only one at school. All the other girls have dark hair."

Noticing the kid looked a little sad about that Alex begrudgingly admitted, "Well personally I like blondes better." Winking over at Will Alex added, "Definitely my favorite."

Will looked down at the play dress he was folding and smiled when Ari tossed the dolls into the donate pile after all.

* * *

"Read me another one," Ari demanded as she crossed her arms and snuggled against her daddy's chest.

"No," Alex tossed the book on her nightstand. "I read three. That is the limit," Alex told her in a firm tone.

"Then make one up," Ari insisted blinking sleepily at Alex and pouting her lips.

Adjusting on the bed Alex huffed until he felt Will taking his hand. "Fine," Alex licked his lips as he tried to think of a story to tell her. '_This is definitely Will's area of expertise_.' Glancing over at Will and Ari cuddled together Alex's lips quirked upwards.

"OK," Alex started, "There was a pri-"

"No," Ari criticized. "It has to start with once upon a time."

Glaring up at the ceiling Alex started over, "Once upon a time there was a handsome, blonde prince named William."

"Prince? Why not a princess?" Ari questioned rolling onto her side so she was looking at Alex.

"Yep," Alex nodded. "A prince and because I said so. You wanna hear this or not?" Seeing Ari snap her mouth shut Alex said, "Poor Prince William was a sad prince who lived in a small, stupid town. Everyone was mean to him because they thought his mommy was a witch. But the whole town was just jealous because she was the only one that made any sense."

Will, fingers running through Ari's long hair, chuckled at that description. _'Mom's going to love hearing about this,_' Will thought as he listened to the rest of Alex's story.

"The prince was sad and lonely because he had to pretend to be someone he wasn't," Alex told Ari, glancing over at Will every now and again, "One day the prince met a knight and he made the prince start to feel a little better and a little bit happier."

"Oooh," Ari couldn't help herself from saying.

Basking in having all eyes on him Alex added, "The knight was from a big family and they were exactly like every other family in the whole kingdom and didn't like the prince. The knight said he didn't care that he loved the prince even if he was bad. The prince thought he was going to get to live happily ever after."

"But if you're a prince you need to find another prince," Ari replied completely enthralled.

"Right," Alex nodded his head. "The knight wanted the prince to be perfect and like everyone else in town. But the prince couldn't do that, he couldn't change. So the prince ran away from the mean knight and the mean town. And guess who he found?"

Ari inhaled sharply, sounding excited, "His prince."

Alex shrugged, "Prince William found a lost, forgotten prince that felt unwanted by the town too. What do you think happened next?"

"They fell in love and were together forever," Ari yawned.

"Something like that," Alex ended watching as Will moved out from under Ari.

Making sure Ari was on her pillows and covered with her blanket Will kissed her cheek, "Did you like that story?"

"Mmmhmm," Ari nodded almost completely asleep. "Alex?" Ari asked quietly.

"What?" Alex hummed as he bent over so he was level with Ari.

"Did the princes have a pretty princess?" Ari questioned.

"Yes," Alex responded with a heavy sigh. "Tomorrow I'll tell you all about the pretty princess and about the time the mean knight turned into a fire-breathing dragon."

"You better," Ari said before closing her eyes.

As soon as Will and Alex were in their own room Will closed the door and pounced on Alex. Taken by surprise Alex blinked a few times before moving the two of them towards the bed.

"I love watching the two of you," Will informed Alex between kisses as he practically ripped Alex's shirt off of him. "You are literally the sweetest thing."

"You know how I feel about that phrase," Alex objected as he started pulling at Will's shirt.

"Can't help it," Will shook his head as he started pulling off his own shirt and wriggling out of his pants.

"Whatever," Alex disregarded Will's reply as he shoved down his own pants and grabbed the back of Will's neck. "I think it's my turn to play now," Alex reminded Will.

"Maybe we should go through your toys and see if there's any you might want to get rid of," Will kissed Alex lightly.

"I don't think that's going to be a problem," Alex grunted as he shoved Will onto the bed, "Besides you like when I use them on you too much."

"I don't know," Will hummed as he took himself in hand. "It's been so long maybe you don't remember how to use them," Will teased.

"You are in so much trouble now," Alex warned Will as he pulled the box out from under the bed and rummaged through it looking for exactly what he wanted. Pulling the padded handcuffs from the bed Alex sauntered towards Will laughing when Will eagerly put his hands against the headboard.

Will grinned excitedly, "I think we have very different definitions of the word trouble."

* * *

"Crap," Will hissed as he tried to toss all the stupid beauty products he needed to write about into a bag to take with him to work. "I am going to be so damn glad when I'm done with this," Will told Alex.

Alex, spitting out his toothpaste and rinsing his mouth, stated, "I told you not to take the assignment. They could have given it to someone else."

"I know," Will pouted in the mirror as he attempted to fix his hair, "I just figured we could use the extra money."

Alex rolled his eyes, "And you know that we're perfectly fine and have nothing to worry about with that."

"Yeah," Will did know. He didn't know why he was so obsessed about money but he just was. "But if we want to refinish the pool I don't want to have to worry when Christmas rolls around," Will confessed.

"Fine," Alex shrugged. "But we're spending the extra money to make it really nice."

"OK," Will accepted. He knew he drove Alex crazy about that stuff but he was trying to get better about it. Hugging Alex from behind Will kissed the side of his neck, "Want to meet me for lunch today?"

"Yes," Alex replied as he closed his eyes and enjoyed Will's lips working over his skin.

"Ew," Ari said loudly as she walked into the bathroom. She moved her princess step stool in front of the sink and started brushing her teeth while shooting Will and Alex a dirty look.

"You have the worst timing ever," Alex informed her. "It's like you live to make my life difficult."

Ari, teeth covered in blue toothpaste, smiled widely at him through the mirror.

Huffing out a laugh Will told them both, "I have a meeting in an hour so Alex is going to take you to school today."

Ari and Alex both shrugged at the same time, matching looks of disinterest on their face.

"And your soccer practice was cancelled today so we're coming straight home," Will reminded her as he kissed the top of her head. "I love you," Will told Ari. Will wasn't able to reach the top of Alex's head so he kissed the side of his neck again, "I love you too."

Taking his bag full of products with him Will headed off to work smiling when Alex and Ari both called out, "Love you," behind him.

After spitting into the sink and rinsing her toothbrush off Ari grabbed her hair brush and a ribbon and shoved them into Alex's hands. "Here you go," Ari stated, "I want it fancy today to go with my dress."

Giving her a sharp look Alex attempted to deal with her hair, "If it looks like hair at the end of this you'll be lucky."

* * *

Alex unlocked the door to the loft he was renting and used as a work space. Flipping on the lights Alex set down his bag and the coffee in his hand. After dealing with the rat's nest that was Ari's hair the two barely had enough time to squeeze in a visit to a local coffee house before Ari was going to be late for school. But it was their tradition on the days Will wasn't with them. Whenever Alex had to drop her off or pick her up himself the two would go to the small coffee shop near their house. Alex would get a coffee and a scone while Ari would get a smoothie and a chocolate muffin.

'_And I still got her to school on time even if she was covered in crumbs_,' Alex thought as he pulled out his laptop and camera out of his bag and started uploading things. He had taken a few shots while they were in Vegas but nothing too exciting. Remembering the art showing and the response his photographs of Will had gotten Alex had placed a new pressure on himself. If he wanted to get another set close to that again he was going to need to have a razor sharp focus.

'_Unfortunately_,' Alex knew, _'I'm probably only going to get that kind of reaction again if I photograph Will. And he's going to take a bit of convincing after using the last pictures without his permission_.'

Pulling open his email inbox Alex figured in the meantime he might as well schedule a few photo sessions with some actual models.

A few hours later Alex frowned when he heard a knock at his door. '_Who the fuck is that?_' Alex wondered. He knew it wasn't Will since he always sent a message when he could leave the office to meet for lunch.

Opening the door Alex stopped a bit short when he saw who was on the other side.

"Hello, son," Justin smiled at Alex pushing him to the side so he could enter the loft.

"Uh," Alex took a few moments to recover before he closed the door and turned around. "Dad what the hell?"

* * *

Will walked down the hall from the conference room to his office. He dumped his bag of products and his briefcase on the floor and looked at the planner on his desk jotting down a few deadlines. He liked to make sure he had several reminders in place so he wouldn't forget.

Checking the time he picked up his phone and was going to send Alex a message when a knock sounded at his door. Looking up Will frowned when his mother burst through in a whirlwind of big hair, a tight dress and dangerous looking shoes. Following behind her was his grandma Kate.

"What?" was all Will could get out before his mom cut him off.

"Get up," Sami ordered, "We're going to lunch."

Giving his grandma a look Will sighed before sending an apology text to Alex. _'Well there went my nice afternoon.'_

* * *

Sitting down in a swanky restaurant down the street from Will's office Sami explained, "And Will and Alex met at the bar across the street."

"Oh right," Kate nodded as she sat down in her chair, "And Will went back to his hotel after knowing him for a few seconds."

Will put his face in his hands, "Can we not?"

"Well you've seen what Alex looks like," Sami picked up a menu and began reading it over, "Can you blame him?"

"Definitely not," Kate agreed.

Wrinkling his nose Will looked between his mom and his grandma. Knowing their track record with guys they were both attracted to Will said, "You two stay away from my boyfriend."

"Oh shut up," Sami ordered with a laugh. "No one wants to sleep with Alex. Besides with the way he looks at you I doubt he even knows anyone else exists."

"What does that mean?" Will wondered. His mother was always going on about how Alex looked at him but Will didn't get it.

"Sweetheart," Kate reached across the table and patted Will's arm, "Alex takes pictures of naked models for a living and still looks at you like you're the only thing he can see."

"Right?" Sami looked at Kate, "I mean that would freak me out entirely but he's so embarrassingly in love with Will sometimes I want to slap him."

"Exactly," Kate nodded. "Don't forget I was there this weekend. I saw what happened between Alex and Sonny."

"And why the hell did no one tell me?" Sami demanded staring at Will accusingly.

"Alex wanted to tell you himself," Will defended. "He's going to be pissed you stole his thunder, Grandma," Will told Kate.

"Now that we're alone though," Kate put her menu down, "You can tell us exactly what set Sonny off. I've never seen him act like that before."

Will rolled his eyes, "Do we have to talk about this?"

"Two men were literally fighting over you, Will," Sami shrugged slightly, "How many times is that going to happen?"

"She's right," Kate pointed out, cringing slightly admitting that, "You need to enjoy the opportunity while you can."

"They weren't just fighting over me," Will explained lightly feeling his cheeks burning slightly. "They've always had their problems. I just happened to be the catalyst this time."

"Obviously," Sami raised her eyebrow at him, "Now give us the details."

Thankful when the waiter came to take their order Will contemplated what he was going to tell them. He knew both of them well enough to know that they wouldn't rest until he gave in and told them at least a little of the story.

"Well?" Kate questioned as she took a sip of her drink.

Taking a deep breath and sitting up straight Will divulged, "You know how everyone was always going on and on about how immature I was? Well apparently the tables have turned because now I'm the one that's sitting around wondering what in the world is wrong with Sonny."

"So," Sami tried working that through, "Sonny hasn't moved on from you? Even though he's dating someone else?"

"I don't know," Will shrugged, "I don't really think so. I think he mostly was upset because I actually moved on from him, that I wasn't just faking everything to get his attention. I don't think he's ever had to deal with that before. It wasn't a very good look on him."

"Neither was his face when I saw him before he left," Kate smiled serenely and clinked her martini glass against Sami's.

"And for your information," Will told them giving them a small smile, "That's not the first time I've had two guys fighting over me."

Kate, leaning closer on the table to Will, said, "Oh really?"

Mimicking Kate, Sami leaned in as well, "We know it never happened with Sonny so who else did Alex beat up?"

_Will wrapped his arms around Alex's neck and dragged his body even closer. _

"_I told you this was a good idea," Alex bragged as he helped guide Will's hip to the beat of the music. He had finally convinced Will to leave the home life behind and go out clubbing. _

"_Maybe," Will teased as he breathed against Alex's mouth._

"_Maybe, huh?" Alex laughed, "What's it going to take to change your mind?" _

"_You could start with a drink," Will hummed as he moved away from Alex and pulled him towards the bar. _

"_I'm pretty sure we're past the phase where I have to get you drunk to sleep with you," Alex shouted into Will's ear. Seeing only one seat at the bar Alex pushed Will onto the stool and moved over a bit to order their drinks. _

'He thinks he's super tough but he's actually really sweet_,' Will thought admiring his boyfriend talking to the bartender. '_God he's hot_,' Will thought shaking his head and smiling at Alex. _

_He knew a few months ago he would have panicked at the idea of his boyfriend chatting with anyone else in a gay bar but Will didn't feel worried in the slightest. He knew that Alex was only interested in him. '_Seriously, someone that looks like that is interested in me_?' _

_Getting bumped into Will reached out and grabbed the bar to steady himself as he felt two hands reach out and hold onto his waist. _

"_Oh wow, I am so sorry," a deep voice said surprisingly close to Will's ear. _

"_Right," Will pushed the hands off of him and turned around. Opening his mouth to say something Will stopped short when he recognized the man, "Oh." _

_Alex, with drinks in hand, turned to move back towards Will and frowned when he saw Will hunched on his seat looking painfully uncomfortable as someone hovered near him. Narrowing his eyes Alex shouldered someone out of his way to stand next to Will, "What the fuck are you doing?" _

_Will jumped slightly when he heard Alex practically shouting. Assuming the question was geared towards him Will put his hand on Alex's arm, "I wasn't talking to him!" _

"_Not you," Alex put down the drinks before he reached down and yanked Will and the barstool he was sitting on closer to him. "You," Alex gestured with his chin, "What the fuck are you doing to him?" _

_The man smiled at Alex charmingly, "Will and I were just getting reacquainted here." _

"_How do you know Will?" Alex demanded. He had never seen Will react this way before. He'd seen Will uncomfortable and he'd seen Will insecure but this was something different. Alex's initial thought was this man could be Will's ex-husband but Alex had no idea why the man would be in California. '_Plus Will would probably be running out the door_,' Alex stood up to his full height and lifted one eyebrow expectantly. _

"_We used to work together," the man leaned against the bar. Shooting Will a simpering smile the man added, "And then some." _

_Will laced his fingers together with Alex's and squeezed tightly. Looking up at Alex, Will winced a bit when he saw the understanding flash across his face. '_Get it together, Horton_,' Will scolded himself, '_You're older and smarter now. You don't need anyone to fight your battles for you_.' _

_Before Alex had a chance to respond Will forced himself to sit up straighter. Taking a deep breath Will told Alex, "I worked with Jaime on that writing project I told you about. He's the one I slept with." _

"_When you were still married," Jamie subtly moved closer to Will. Glancing at Alex he said, "It was adorable really how just a few compliments got him on his back so quickly." _

_Will's mouth dropped open and gasped, "Excuse me?" _

"_I assumed I was going to have to try a lot harder than that," Jaime nudged Will's thigh with his knee, "But you actually made it so easy for me it almost wasn't even that fun." Standing up straighter Jaime added, "Of course then I got you in my bed and changed my mind on that." _

_Alex let out a growl in the back of his throat and went to take a step closer to the guy when Will slid off the stool. _

_Standing in front of Alex Will looked at Jaime and said calmly, "I don't know what you're problem is but I'm not going to listen to this. See you around, Jaime." Snatching the two drinks off of the bar Will shoved one in Alex's hand and started pulling him back to the dance floor. _

_Reluctantly following Will Alex chugged his glass before tossing it on a random table nearby. He roughly placed his hands on Will's ass and yanked until Will was pressed completely against him. Alex didn't want to dance what he wanted was to break that guy's face. He wanted to ruin that smarmy smile and break his hands and any other part of him that had ever touched Will. _

_Will slurped his drink down just as quickly as Alex and tried to relax in his arms. He didn't think he would ever see Jaime again. He didn't want to see Jaime again. Jaime represented a time in Will's life that he tried to forget about. '_Yeah_,' Will rolled his eyes at himself, _'If I had remembered maybe I wouldn't have done the exact same thing with Paul. And I slept with Alex right away too. Maybe I am easy_.'_

"_Hey," Alex stated. Even though it was dark in the club Alex was close enough to see that expression on Will's face. "Whatever you're thinking knock it off." _

"_You have no idea what I'm thinking," Will shook his head and gingerly wrapped his arms around Alex's neck. Almost unconsciously Will's fingers began combing through Alex's hair. Will didn't want to be here anymore. He didn't want to feel the pounding of the bass in his chest and he didn't want to see so many bodies grinding together. He wanted to be at home where he felt secure and wanted. He didn't want to be anywhere or around anyone that would remind him of who he used to be. '_Or who might remind Alex_,' Will thought miserably. _

_Moving his hands up to cup the sides of Will's face Alex looked him in the eyes, "I'm sure whatever it is you're wrong. Now come here." Without giving Will anytime to think Alex kissed him firmly. _

_Will closed his eyes automatically and reveled in Alex's possessive touch. Losing himself in the moment Will nearly forget where they were and what they were doing. When he felt Alex pressing his leg between his Will easily started working his hips against it. _

_Pulling away to take a deep breath Alex whispered against Will's lips, "If it was up to me I would make sure anyone who has ever touched you or kissed you or even looked at you stayed the hell away from you." Bending until his forehead touched Will's Alex pointed out, "But it doesn't matter." _

"_It doesn't?" Will questioned a bit nervously. _

"_Nope," Alex kissed Will lightly, nipping at his bottom lip, "Because you're all mine now. The only man that's ever going to be touching you, kissing you, fucking you is going to be me." _

_Will nodded slowly. He wanted that so badly but he couldn't let go of the anxiety he had in the back of his head. '_I thought the same thing about Sonny and look what I did. What if I do the same thing to Alex?'

"_What-what if I screw everything up?" Will couldn't stop himself from asking. "What if I ruin everything?" _

_Alex pulled away from Will slightly and tilted Will's head back, "Do you want anyone else?" _

"_No," Will immediately answered. He didn't have to think about that at all. _

"_Do you want to be with me?" Alex demanded already knowing the answer. _

"_You know I do," Will replied, "But I've been through this before. What if it happens again?" _

"_It's not going to," Alex informed Will as he kissed him again. "You've never been through this before because we're completely different. I've never been in a relationship like this and either have you. I trust you completely just like you trust me. I know that you'd never be with anyone else just like you know I'd never be with anyone else." _

"_You and me?" Alex shook his head at Will, "We're it. Now, why don't I get you back to Sami's, we can check on the kid, and then I'll take you to bed and show you exactly how I know you're never going to want anyone else?" _

"_O-OK," Will stuttered out gazing up at Alex in disbelief. _

"_Stop looking at me like that," Alex ordered as he took Will's hand and navigated them towards the mass of bodies towards the exit. "Makes me feel like you're painting some kind of standard in your head I can't live up to," Alex finished as they walked outside. _

"_Hate to break it to you," Will linked his arm with Alex's, "But despite what you say you're romantic and sweet." _

_Alex shook his head and snorted, "Exactly how much vodka was in your drink?" _

"_Excuse me Mr. 'We're it'," Will laughed as Alex immediately looked away, "But it wasn't me doing some serious wooing on the dance floor." _

"_That wasn't wooing," Alex shoved Will against his car, "If I wanted to woo you, you would know it." _

_Smiling, feeling extremely relieved and ridiculously giddy, Will tugged Alex against him and asked, "What's the likelihood we could fool around right here without getting caught?" _

"_Aw, baby, you know just the right things to say," Alex grinned before licking his way across Will's mouth. _

_A few minutes later, Jaime, having left the club laughed loudly and called out towards Will and Alex, "Well at least I know one thing changed, Horton. You're not the one panting and drooling all over your newest man like before." _

_Alex, hand rubbing against Will's groin while he sucked a mark into the back of his neck, stopped and looked over his shoulder at the douche bag from earlier. "Can I fucking help you?" Alex retorted in a disgruntled tone, "Or are you done being obsessed with my boyfriend?" _

"_Ha," Jamie huffed, "Your boyfriend wasn't even that good." _

_Will grabbed Alex by his belt loops and held on tightly so he couldn't storm over there. _

"_Shut the fuck up," Alex hissed feeling his blood boiling inside of him. _

"_I'm just saying," Jaime held his hands up innocently, "He must have learned quite a few tricks to keep someone like you interested enough to be his boyfriend." _

_Will immediately frowned. That was exactly what he was wondering earlier. It's what he wonders about all the time. '_Why would someone like Alex be interested in me_?' Will was under no illusions about his looks. He didn't think he was ugly by any means but he knew he wasn't anything close to Alex's league but hearing it from someone like Jaime just made him angry. _

'Who gives a fuck what Alex sees when he looks at me_?' Will glared at Jaime, barely hanging onto Alex as the two started screaming at each other. '_He loves me. I know he loves me. He loves me and Ari and he's not going anywhere. I know that as certainly as Alex knows I'd never cheat on him_.' _

"_I'm just saying," Jaime shrugged. He really didn't have anything against Will Horton. He was just a fun, good time Jaime used before getting him out of the way. "It all makes sense now. Who cares what he looks like as long as you can train him, right?" _

"_You know what," Will gave up. Letting go of Alex Will wanted to see Jaime get his stupid, handsome face smashed in. "You deserve this," Will said before Alex punched Jaime in the nose. _

"_Let's see who's going to want to sleep with you now," Alex told Jaime pleasantly as he saw the rivulets of blood gushing out of his obviously broken nose. Seeing a few security guards heading their way Alex easily explained the situation. _

_When Will and Alex finally got into their car to drive off Will was amazed Alex managed to talk his way out of having the police called. "I can't believe they didn't even ban you," Will shook his head as Alex started driving them back to his mom's house. _

"_Perks of being raised by a lawyer," Alex shrugged, "I can pretty much talk my way out of anything." _

"Wow," Sami finally said once Will was finished with his story. Thinking about it for a moment Sami pursed her lips before saying, "Alex kind of has a hero complex going on with you."

"What?" Will tilted his head looking at his mother like she was crazy.

"What, what?" Sami answered, "Someone insults you or threatens you in any sort of way and he goes about attacking. I've seen the way he glares down anyone that looks mildly interested in you. He's your very own deranged prince charming."

Recalling the fairy tale Alex made up the night before Will smiled happily, "Yeah I guess he is."

As soon as the waiter came back with their food Will realized his grandma had been awfully quiet. "Hey," Will tapped her foot with his, "You OK?"

"Well," Kate stirred her salad around with her fork. "Actually there's something I should probably tell you both."

"OK," Sami shrugged only mildly interested, "Spit it out."

"It's about the end of your story," Kate started explaining, "About how Alex said something about his father."

"What about Justin?" Will wondered. "You work with him still don't you?"

"I do, yeah," Kate put her fork down and folded her hands together, "But it's a bit more complicated than that."

Will, about to take a bite of his sandwich, lowered it back to his plate and frowned, "Does everyone in my family have to date my former in-laws?"

"I'm not dating him," Kate insisted while tossing her hair over her shoulder.

"Oh god," Will scooted his chair back dramatically, "That's even worse."

Sami calmly put down her fork and wiped her mouth with her napkin. "Let me get this straight," Sami tapped her fingers against the table, "You are in some sort of not-a-relationship-relationship with Justin Kiriakis. Lucas is now married to Justin's ex-wife. And Will is dating their son who is also his ex-husbands brother?"

Clicking her tongue Sami lifted her martini glass, "And the two of you always complained about my relationships being convoluted."

* * *

"I have to say," Justin complimented as he looked around the loft, "I'm impressed. It's certainly nicer than I was expecting."

"Right," Alex easily dismissed. "Why are you here?" Alex questioned directly.

"I'm in town on business," Justin explained as he wandered over to Alex's laptop that was open to a few pictures he was editing.

Alex, snapping the laptop closed, raised his eyebrows up, "And you didn't feel the need to call me why?"

Justin gave Alex a hard look, "Maybe it's because I know you too well."

"Meaning?" Alex crossed his arms and shrugged slightly.

"Meaning," Justin rolled his eyes fondly, "That I would call and you would find an excuse not to see me. I'd argue with you about it all trip until we see each other for five minutes. So I figured I'd just skip that part and force you into it."

"Damn," Alex mumbled under his breath as he started gathering up all the photographs he brought back from his exhibit. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to hear his father's response to them.

"How did you even know where this place was? I've never told you an address," Alex gave his father a suspicious look.

"I had your uncle look into it," Justin explained easily.

Justin, unbuttoning his suit jacket, looked over Alex. '_He doesn't look any worse for wear_,' Justin noted. "I heard you had an interesting weekend," Justin informed Alex. "You want to tell me what happened?"

Alex turned to look at his father, "What?"

"Vic and Joey already talked to me about it, you know," Justin told Alex. "About your fight with Sonny. So, what was it about? The usual or something new?"

"I thought you said Vic and Joey told you everything," Alex responded evasively.

"OK not everything," Justin admitted, "But enough. You two haven't resorted to your fists since you were in high school so it must have been something big."

Alex looked at his father like he was stupid, _'Did no one tell him about me and Will? Seriously_?'

Knowing he was going to be carrying most of this conversation Justin shrugged, "I mean I'm sure I can figure out what set Sonny off. You always get on his nerves. He's been weird about Paul the past month. Plus I'm sure seeing Will again upset him."

"But I can't seem to figure out about you," Justin divulged. "I was shocked to hear you even showed up. I was certain you wouldn't have wanted to go at all."

Realizing he had a perfect opportunity here Alex smiled, "I'm just full of surprises aren't I, Dad?"

* * *

"I am literally traumatized," Will put his head in his hands and leaned his elbows on the table.

"Don't be so dramatic," Kate laughed. "I didn't say I was going to date him either. Justin and I are just," she couldn't seem to find the right word, "Something."

"Something?" Sami snorted. "After that story I'd say it's a bit more than something."

"Well it isn't," Kate argued.

"Why not?" Will looked at his grandma. He didn't want to hear about her romantic entanglements with Justin but he didn't want her holding herself back from something if it made her happy either.

Messing with her hair Kate lifted one shoulder, "A lot of reasons."

"Like your son marrying his wife?" Sami supplied with a wide grin. She was enjoying being on the outside looking in on the drama for once.

Sucking in the sides of her cheeks and ignoring Sami Kate continued, "Mostly though because of Will."

"Me?" Will moved his arms off the table. "What did I do?"

"It's not what you did," Kate shook her head and gave him a reassuring smile. "It's what Justin did. He was determined to make your life miserable when you were still in Salem. I still have to deal with Paul on a daily basis because of him. Plus I'm not too fond of Sonny either. Not to mention who even knows how Justin would react when he finds out about you and Alex."

"Finds out?" Will's forehead crinkled as he tried to figure that out. "You mean he doesn't know?"

Kate shook her head and took a sip of her drink. "Trust me," Kate said once she finished swallowing, "If he knew I would know."

"How could he not know? Everyone else has known for at least a month," Will couldn't wrap his head around that. '_Why wouldn't anyone tell him_?'

Feeling his phone buzz in his pocket Will pulled it out and read his message. Lifting his eyebrows up Will responded quickly before he put the phone on the table. "Well I'm thinking Justin is going to know soon enough," Will told his mom and grandma.

"Why do you say that?" Kate asked looking at Will suspiciously.

"Because he's having lunch with Alex now. And he wants to have his dad over tonight to explain some things," Will gave them both an awkward smile. "Want to come tonight too? I might need help keeping Alex in check if things go badly."

* * *

Justin scooted into the booth before tossing his jacket to the side, "We've done the evasive talking where I say things and you tell me something snarky back without giving me any information. So, are you ready to tell me what happened this weekend?"

"No," Alex replied truthfully. Giving his drink order to the waitress Alex turned back to his father, "I like being elusive better anyway. Makes me seem mysterious."

"It makes you seem like a pain in my ass," Justin wanted to be annoyed but he just couldn't be. He had missed Alex more than he realized. '_Even if it's like talking to an angry wall sometimes_.'

Nodding appreciatively Alex figured he might as well tell his dad a bit of what happened this weekend, "I didn't plan on going to the wedding. I made the mistake of telling Joey I'd be there for something and he convinced Adrienne to get married then."

"Sounds like your brother," Justin nodded. "He's always wanted everyone to get along and be one big happy family."

"Oh I know," Alex stated recalling all the times Joey referred to Will as his baby brother.

"Why were you in Vegas?" Justin wondered out loud. "Business or pleasure?"

Quirking an eyebrow Alex leered, "Both." Looking over his menu a bit Alex admitted, "I got invited to participate in a gallery showing."

"Really?" Justin smiled, "That's great news. How did it go?"

Alex felt his fingers twitching. He wanted to pull up the review on his phone and show it to his dad so badly. He wanted to throw it in everyone's face and let it be known that he was good at what he did. That he was talented and he could make a living off of taking photographs even if they were of nude bodies.

Biting his lip Alex yanked out his phone and found the link. "You tell me," Alex shoved the phone across the table trying to appear nonchalant. '_Ugh,_' he thought to himself, '_This is why I don't like being around my parents. They make me feel like a child begging for attention.' _

As Justin read over the review the smile on his face got wider and wider. '_That's my son they're writing about and his pictures they're gushing over.' _

When his father put the phone on the table Alex panicked momentarily hoping that he wouldn't close the app and see the picture on his background. Seeing that for the moment his father still didn't know about his relationship Alex looked at his dad's face and asked, "So?"

"So," Justin grinned. "Alex that's incredible. I'm very proud of you." Recognizing that Alex was trying hard not to smile Justin eased up on the compliments a bit, "And of course you know I'm going to want to see these pictures now especially if they really do feature your muse."

Changing the topic quickly Alex shook his head, "I thought you wanted to know why I beat up Sonny?"

"If I have to pick," Justin sighed, "Then yes I would prefer to know that." Shaking his head Justin said, "Has anyone ever told you how exhausting you are?"

"All the time," Alex smirked slightly, "But they usually mean it in a very different way."

Justin leaned back against the booth on one arm, "Fight, Sonny, explanation please."

Dramatically rolling his eyes Alex said, "He pissed me off. I warned him. He wouldn't stop so I dealt with it."

"I'm gonna need more details than that, Alex," Justin told him seriously.

Narrowing his eyes slightly Alex wondered, "Why are you so interested? Because if this is about you lecturing me about hitting your special snowflake you can fucking leave now."

"Despite what the two of you think," Justin looked straight at Alex, "Not everything is a competition between you two. You're both my sons and I love you equally."

"Right," Alex snorted in disbelief. "Sure."

"Alex," Justin gave him a pointed look, voice stern, "You know what I mean. I know it wasn't always easy for you growing up but I'm not Adrienne. So don't even start with me. Now tell me what happened with your brother."

Alex, grateful when the waitress came to take their order, wasn't sure what he should say. He didn't want to blurt out that he was dating Will until he found some sort of way to perceive how his dad would react. But he also didn't want to completely lie about the fight.

"Wow," Justin frowned as he looked over Alex.

"What?" Alex shook his head and began looking around, "What's the matter?"

"You," Justin pointed out with a frown. "That waitress practically threw herself at you and you didn't even notice."

"And?" Alex leaned back in his seat annoyed he got worked up for nothing.

"I'm sorry," Justin wasn't entirely sure what was happening here, "The pretty waitress didn't interest you at all."

"No," Alex responded.

"OK," Justin shook his head and started talking with his hands, "Joey said you were seeing someone but this is unheard of even for you. At no point in time since you hit puberty have you not scoped out every attractive person in the room. And yes I'm aware I said person."

Alex shrugged, "Things change."

"Hmm," Justin started looking over Alex's face, "And does that have something to do with the photographs you don't want me to see."

"Maybe," Alex conceded. '_God this would be so much easier if he already knew_.'

"You've got to tell me something," Justin demanded. "Either the fight or the girl or boy or whoever it is. I need to know something."

"Alright," Alex said, "You want to know something, huh? Fine, I talked to Adrienne before the wedding. Wanna guess what she said?"

Beginning to feel apprehensive Justin was almost afraid to ask, "What did she say?"

"That I was a big fat outsider intruding on her happy family but she put up with me anyway," Alex smiled before taking a gulp of his soda.

Justin immediately began trying to decipher the coded words in that sentence to gain its true meaning. "She told you she didn't want you but loved you anyway," Justin finally understood.

Alex didn't say anything in response. '_When the fuck does Will get home today_?' he tried to distract himself.

Justin was afraid something like this would eventually happen. He never wanted Alex to feel like he didn't belong just like he didn't want Adrienne to feel like Alex was a burden. He knew that he hadn't been fair to his son when he was growing up. '_Hell I haven't been fair to him since before he was even born.' _

Justin had tried to find a balance and a way to keep everyone happy but it wasn't easy. Alex was always difficult to deal with and Adrienne had little patience for him. Justin knew he should have done a better job sticking up for Alex but he was always afraid of upsetting Adrienne. With the challenging circumstances regarding Alex's conception Justin didn't want to bother Adrienne too much. '_But I should have. I should have cared more about my son's wellbeing than if my wife was happy. She was never happy.' _

"Alex," Justin started to say before he was cut off.

"You said you wanted to know something so I told you," Alex pursed his lips, "I didn't say it so we could have a heartwarming moment."

"Maybe I want to have a heartwarming moment," Justin was beginning to get annoyed. Rubbing his forehead Justin sighed, "You know that I'm sorry for what happened when you were a kid. Just like you know that if I could I would change things."

"Uh huh," Alex wasn't interested in hearing this. The only person he felt comfortable having moments like this with was Will and that was after months of them being together. Sure this was his father and he was infinitely closer to him than Adrienne but at the same time his father knew him better than that. '_He knows I don't like talking about this shit.' _

Justin shook his head. He knew Alex well enough to know that if he wasn't in the mood to talk then he wouldn't. Changing the subject Justin said, "So did the fight happen after your talk with Adrienne?"

"Yeah," Alex figured he could at least talk about some of this. He didn't like seeing that disappointed look on his father's face. Alex wasn't under any illusions that he was easy to handle. He knew that he made things difficult on purpose. Just like Justin knew that a lot of that had to do with what happened when Alex was growing up.

"We argued on Friday a bit," Alex divulged with a shrug. "And before the wedding. We really got into it at the reception. I went to leave and he followed after and hit me."

"Sonny hit you first?" Justin almost found that hard to believe. Alex was typically the one who started most arguments and fights. "Wait, back up, you were going to leave? You, Alexander Kiriakis, were going to leave to prevent an argument with your brother?"

Looking up at the ceiling in annoyance Alex grunted, "Yes."

"Huh," Justin looked over Alex. "Is that it then? You two fought and went your separate ways?"

"Not really," Alex admitted. "We talked a bit after that. You know how we are."

"Well," Justin leaned back in his seat, "I'm a bit stunned but I guess you two are adults now." Taking a sip of his drink Justin asked, "And you're alright?"

Smirking at his father Alex replied, "Oh please. When has Sonny ever been able to hurt me?"

"That's not what I meant," Justin smiled slightly, "And how soon you forget the time he pushed you off the monkey bars and you broke your wrist."

"That doesn't count," Alex argued, always slightly bitter about that, "He was the one that cried anyway."

"That's true," Justin chuckled. "He felt so bad about that."

"And Adrienne gave him whatever he wanted to make up for it," Alex suddenly remembered another reason he didn't like thinking about that incident. "While she tried to ground me for upsetting him."

"Right," Justin sighed in disappointment. '_God why did I ever let things like that happen? Why didn't I notice how messed up that was?' _

"He didn't hurt me," Alex just wanted this conversation over with. He wished he was having lunch with Will instead. '_Everything is better with Will_,' Alex grumbled to himself. "He just pissed me off," Alex finished.

"Right," Justin nodded. He doubted that but now wasn't the time to call Alex out. Over the years Justin had gotten much better at knowing when Alex was lying and when he was telling the truth. Alex liked to think he locked his emotions inside of him so that no one could see but Justin knew better. He knew what to look for now.

Justin wasn't always able to read his eldest son so well but after what happened when Alex was 14 Justin took an active interest in his son. Alex had always been disagreeable and fairly sullen at times. '_But I had no idea Alex was that observant he knew there had to have been something wrong about him_,' Justin thought.

'_Not to mention no father wants to find out their 14 year old son lied about going to a summer camp and instead traveled all over the world trying to find his mother_,' Justin sighed, thankful that their food had arrived. '_Of course it couldn't have been any worse than having to admit to your son why you didn't acknowledge his existence immediately_.'

After that train wreck of a situation Justin finally managed to get it through his thick head that just because Alex always seemed so independent didn't mean he couldn't be vulnerable as well. Justin did everything he could to make Alex comfortable, wanted and loved but he knew a lot of the damage had already been done. The harder Justin tried however the harder Alex rebelled.

'_Dealing with my marriage constantly in jeopardy, Alex's stunts and three other teenage boys it's a wonder all four of them managed to grow up at all. God_,' Justin shook his head, '_And I always give Kate crap about how Will was raised.' _

Glancing at his phone Alex smiled when he saw a picture Will sent him. Staring at the camera with exaggeratingly large eyes and his hair sticking out all over the place Will made a silly face while his mom and grandma looked completely relaxed beside him.

"OK," Justin put down his fork when he saw the wide grin on Alex's face. '_A grin, an honest to god grin_,' Justin knew he had to find out what that was all about. "Now you have to tell me who this mystery person you're seeing is."

"I don't know," Alex replied. He still wasn't sure the best way to tell his father everything before he got him over to the house.

"Anyone that puts a smile like that on your face can't be that bad," Justin smiled slightly.

Alex smirked, "You're going to regret saying that."

* * *

"You know it's hard to get any work done with you two in here," Will commented as he tried to work on his laptop.

"Well you didn't tell us you had access to all these products," Kate glared at Will lightly as her and Sami were opening and closing jars of creams and serums Will was product testing.

"Seriously," Sami complained, "I didn't realize it was going to be anything good."

"Don't you have your own jobs to do?" Will wondered.

"I work when I feel like it," Sami shrugged as she started rubbing something onto the tops of her hands.

"Nothing until tomorrow," Kate explained as she copied Sami.

"Wait a second," Will thought of something, "I thought Paul worked with you and Justin."

"He does," Kate frowned slightly. She still didn't like that man. "Thank god he couldn't make the trip."

"Why couldn't he?" Will was curious. The last time he saw Paul they ended on relatively good terms.

"Beats me," Kate really didn't care. "Probably something to do with Sonny but quite frankly I was too excited to be rid of him I didn't care."

Will frowned slightly. He hoped that Paul and Sonny were working things out between the two of them. Will didn't particularly care if they stayed together or not but he hoped they at least figured things out.

Hearing his phone buzz and slightly shake across his desk Will answered without looking, "Hello?"

"Hello baby brother," Joey practically sang into the phone.

'_Oh boy_,' Will thought before replying, "Hi Joey."

"Have you missed me?" Joey wondered as he threw himself across his bed.

"Well it's been a few days," Will answered, "So not really, no."

"Harsh," Joey laughed, "No wonder Alex is so far gone for you."

"So what's up?" Will asked as he saw his mom and grandma fighting over which product they liked best. '_Well that was nice while it lasted_.'

"Maybe I just wanted to talk," Joey said around a smile, "We can gossip and chitchat. So, anything interesting happen to you and Alex?"

"Well," Will smirked a bit, glad his mom and grandma weren't paying attention, "Last night Alex decided to pull out some handcuffs and then we-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Joey yelled out, "OK no gossip, I don't need to know these things."

"You asked me," Will laughed loudly.

"I'm going to need to have a talk with your boyfriend," Joey insisted mockingly.

"Right," Will rolled his eyes, "That would go over well. So, exactly why are you calling me?"

"Well," Joey started playing with his shirt. "I kind of wanted to talk about Sonny."

"Uh huh," Will rolled his eyes. "Well I kind of don't want to talk about Sonny."

"It's not so much Sonny," Joey admitted, "It's more or less how things were in your relationship. I tried to talk to Paul about it but all he said was he was following your advice. So I'm asking you."

'_Jackass_,' Will couldn't help from thinking about Paul. "All I told Paul was to make Sonny talk to him about everything," Will admitted.

"Good," Joey decided. "I think the two of them need to figure out whatever the hell is going on with Sonny. Unfortunately I had to sit next to them on the plane. Talk about awkward."

"I can imagine," and Will could. He knew all about being the third wheel around those two. "Is there any particular reason you feel the need to constantly talk to me about my ex-husband?"

"I've been thinking," Joey told Will. "And since we're all one big family now if we want to move on from everything we should all be honest. So I'm going to ask a really rough question and I want you to tell me the truth."

Uncertain if this was going to be a serious question or a joke Will made a loud sound of acknowledgment.

"Do you want to have sex with me and Vic?" Joey tried not to laugh. "It's best to get these things out of the way now before your attraction takes over."

Will put a hand over his face in disbelief. Getting over his embarrassment Will teased, "Truthfully I only want to sleep with Vic but I wouldn't want you to feel left out."

Letting out a loud squawk of indignation Joey huffed, "We look exactly alike you jerk."

"But his personality is so much nicer," Will laughed, "I just can't stay away from the ones that think poorly of me."

"He doesn't think that way about you anymore," Joey pointed out lightly. "Soon enough he'll love you just as much as I do."

Will smiled and crinkled his nose. He didn't want to admit how happy that made him. '_At least someone in Alex's family might be able to stand me.' _

Looking at the time Will realized he needed to leave to pick up Ari, "Well I'd hate to cut our brotherly bonding short but I need to go get Ari."

"Aw," Joey cooed, "I like that kid. She's a keeper. I'm totally going to be her favorite uncle."

"You've got competition," Will reminded him. "But she can be bribed so go for it."

"Alright, I'll let you go now," Joey began thinking of all the presents he could give Ari that would gain her favor and annoy Alex.

"Oh and by the way your dad is coming over for dinner," Will said in a falsely cheerful voice, "Talk to you later, bye-bye."

Hanging up quickly, ignoring Joey's excited yelling, Will started packing up all of his things when he noticed his grandma staring at him. "What?" Will questioned.

"Uh," Kate gave him a strange look, "Please tell me that conversation was a joke and you have no intention of sleeping with Vic."

Will and Sami both gave Kate the same blank look.

* * *

Alex pulled out of the restaurant parking lot heading towards home. '_Will and the kid are probably already home. Might as well start telling Dad everything.' _

Turning off the radio Alex glanced at his father, "The first night I moved here I went to a bar and met someone."

"Right," Justin nodded. "Then what happened?"

"Well I fucked him," Alex, blunt as ever, responded, "A lot of times that night actually. Anyway there was just something about him and I knew I needed to see him again."

"OK," Justin knew Alex had no filter when it came to these types of things. _'And I would have thought Alex would settle down with a girl but what do I know?' _

"So I kept seeing him, right," Alex started rambling a bit. He was nervous about his father's reaction, not because he was ashamed to be dating Will but because he didn't want a repeat of what happened with Adrienne and Sonny. '_They didn't give us a chance to explain so this time Dad is going to know everything before he finds out who exactly I'm dating_.'

"The first few months we were just getting to know each other," Alex explained, "And I liked everything I found out. And he just got under my skin and wouldn't leave. I wanted to know more and more and that just annoyed the fuck out of me."

"So it got pretty serious then," Justin observed. _'I've never heard Alex talk about anyone this way_.'

"Basically," Alex shrugged as he changed lanes. _'Fuck I need to explain this faster_.' "Anyway it was about the third month we were together that we decided to you know have a relationship or whatever and he told me he had a kid."

"Really?" Justin was a bit surprised about that. He couldn't picture Alex around a child at all.

"Right? What the fuck, I don't do kids," Alex was still amazed about everything that happened, amazed that his life was what it was, amazed that he was ridiculously happy with it all. "But I told you he got to me and I wasn't giving him up," Alex added. "So I kept seeing him."

"What about the kid?" Justin wasn't sure he understood everything, "Do they share custody or something like that?"

"No," Alex responded quickly. "He has her. And at first we didn't get along at all but now we do."

"You're still with this person?" Justin was blown away by everything. _'None of this sounds like my son_.'

"Yeah," Alex kept talking, "Things were hard and complicated but I got to know him and his daughter and his family. Everything was making sense and I was happy or whatever. And not even just my usual happy where I pretend I'm happy but I'm not. I was ridiculously happy dating this hot guy with his annoyingly adorable daughter and a loud mouthed mom and too many siblings."

Justin knew Alex was taking him to his home but he assumed he meant a swanky condo or an overly priced luxury apartment. _'But here we are pulling into a residential neighborhood_.'

"I just," Alex pressed his lips together, "I just want you to know that I've told him shit I've never told anyone before. Literally everything I've ever done every thought, fear, insecurity he knows about. It's the same with him too. I know him better than any single person in the world. And I love him. I'm not even afraid to say that, to you or to anyone. And you know that's not really me. Or at least it wasn't."

"Wow," Justin didn't know what to say. That was the most Alex had ever told him in one period in years.

"And now my life is all kids and family stuff and I like that," Alex made a disgusted face. "I like going to his mom's house and I like it when the kid talks back to me and I love my life."

Alex turned onto his street and wasn't entirely surprised to see Sami's car outside the house. Pulling into the driveway Alex turned off the car and turned to face his father. "So you understand what I mean when I say I'm not giving them up, got it?"

"No one's asking you to," Justin didn't quite know where Alex was going with this now. "If you're happy and in love why wouldn't I support that?"

Alex took a deep breath and said, "Because he's part of the reason I got into it with Sonny."

Justin, following Alex out of the car, asked, "Why would Sonny care about who you're dating?"

"Because when he found out he dragged Adrienne and Lucas all the way over here to confront us," Alex explained as he lazily walked up the front door. "And they didn't particularly like it when I said I wasn't giving them up."

"I'm not following," Justin admitted looking over the front yard smiling slightly when he saw that the grass was a bit too high and there were a few balls strewn about.

"After I figured out that I didn't care if he had a kid and I knew everything about his past we sort of realized we didn't entirely know who the other was," Alex put his key in the door and unlocked it. "And it was too late to go back after that. I was hooked."

"Which is why," Alex put his hand on the knob, "I told you all of that before I told you who he was."

"Alex," Justin wasn't sure he was going to like this, "Where is this going?"

"Who else would Sonny throw a fit over, cause a fight over? I mean, seriously, Dad, it's not that difficult. How many gay single fathers do you know with a loud mother?" Alex opened the door. "And don't even think about pissing him off because I'm not putting up with it."

'_This isn't going to go well_.' Justin thought as he cautiously followed after Alex.

* * *

Will bounced his foot up and down as he sat outside watching Ari play with his brother and sisters.

"Quit freaking out," Sami said as she calmly sat next to Will. "Do you really think Alex is going to let him say anything to you?" Sami looked towards Will.

"No," Will admitted, "But he still hates me. For once it would be nice to be with someone whose parents actually liked me."

"Well as someone who has literally never had that," Sami patted Will's arm, "I don't know what to tell you other than just be yourself. If Justin wants to be an ass he's going to have to deal with us."

"I thought you liked Justin?" Kate asked Sami from Will's other side.

"I like him when he gets me out of jail," Sami shrugged, "But when he messes with my son? All niceties are forgotten."

Hearing the back door open Will stood up, "Here we go."

Justin wasn't entirely surprised to see Kate or Sami in the backyard. Immediately noticing the looks on both their faces Justin knew this was going to be a long night.

Alex wanted to get this over with already. From what he'd heard he knew his dad didn't like Will. Alex wouldn't admit it but he did want his father's approval. It wasn't the most important thing in the world to him but he wasn't going to lie and say it didn't suck.

Giving Alex a slightly strained smile Will moved over to stand with him when he heard Ari let out a shrill scream. Will rushed to her side when he saw her lying on the ground.

"She tripped," Johnny explained as he moved out of Will's way looking a bit pale at the sight of the blood flowing down Ari's leg.

Shushing Ari's loud wails Will lifted her up and rushed her to the kitchen where he had a first aid kit. "You're OK, baby girl," he sat her down on the counter. "It's just a cut," Will smiled at her easily.

"Nope," Alex said as he followed them inside, "We'll have to chop the leg off. Sorry kid, there goes your soccer career."

Ari glared at Alex, "Nu uh."

Will smiled widely at Alex knowing he was just distracting Ari while Will cleaned her up. Using a wet wipe to clean off the blood dripping down her leg Will blew on her cut so it wouldn't sting too badly. Will found some medicine and rubbed it along the fairly long cut before putting on a large Band-Aid.

"It's true," Alex hopped up on the counter next to her and put his arm around her. "I'll hold you down and Daddy is going to whack it off."

Ari huffed, "That's not true."

"No you're right," Alex patted her shoulder, "Daddy would hold you down and I'd chop it off. Daddy would probably cry like a big baby."

"Hey," Will complained from where he was kneeling on the tile.

"He would," Ari wiped her eyes with the back of her hands. "Remember when we watched the movie about the fox and hound?"

"Oh yeah," Alex nodded. "Daddy is embarrassing. Why do we let him hang out with us?"

"Why do you hang out with me?" Will walked over to the sink and washed his hands after he threw everything away. Turning to face them Will stuck his lower lip out and pouted.

"Hmm," Ari tapped her chin pretending to think, "I guess it's cause we love you."

"You guess?" Will lifted up his hands and wiggled his fingers as he moved closer to her.

"No," Ari squealed when her daddy started tickling her. "I take it back."

"You take what back?" Will questioned as Alex grabbed Ari's arms so she couldn't move away.

"I don't guess," Ari giggled as she squirmed against the counter, "We love you!"

"Oh yeah," Will pulled away and smiled at his daughter. Lifting up his eyebrows Will gave her a secretive smiled, "You know, Ari, I don't think I heard Alex say anything."

"He didn't," Ari grinned before reaching up to tickle Alex's neck. She had learned a long time ago that was his weak spot. "Make him say it," Ari screamed excitedly.

"What?" Alex sputtered as he tried to hold in a laugh, "How did this get turned around on me?"

"Say it," Ari crawled onto his lap as her tiny hands kept poking at him, "Say it, say it, say it!"

Will laughed loudly. He knew if Alex wanted to get away he could just climb off the counter and walk away but Will knew that Alex secretly enjoyed it.

Letting out a loud giggle Alex clamped his mouth shut in horror. He doesn't giggle and he certainly didn't engage in tickle fights.

"Say it," Ari demanded once more practically beaming in delight at getting Alex to laugh. "Say you love us!"

"Fine," Alex yelled out, "I love you."

"You love who?" Ari snickered thoroughly enjoying Alex being at her mercy.

Jumping down from the counter, making sure he had a good grip on Ari so she wouldn't fall, Alex answered, "I believe it's the two blonde haired blue eyed pains in my ass I live with."

"Ha," Ari laughed, trusting Alex to hold onto her completely, "I win."

"Yep," Alex appeased her, "You sure did." Putting her back on the ground Alex watched as she skipped back outside completely forgetting about her leg.

Bumping shoulders with Alex Will said, "You're pretty good at that parenting stuff."

"I told her I was going to chop off her leg," Alex told Will as he put his hands on Will's hips and pulled him close. "I'm not that good."

"I think we're going to agree to disagree," Will smiled before he kissed Alex.

Justin, who had been watching them from just beyond the kitchen, swallowed heavily. '_Alex really is happy_,' Justin realized. Clearing his throat Justin moved closer to Alex and Will.

Groaning slightly Alex pulled away and turned to face his father. With his hands still holding Will tightly Alex said, "Dad."

Recognizing the tone in Alex's voice Will took a deep breath, "Justin, it's been a long time."

'_Yeah the last time I saw you was when you were divorcing my other son_,' Justin thought. Instead of saying that Justin replied, "Yes Will it has."

The three stood in awkward, tense silence for a few moments before Will rolled his eyes, "Do you want to talk with Ari?"

"Yes please," Justin answered immediately following Will back outside.

* * *

"So you're Alex's dad?" Ari wrinkled her nose as she sat on Will's lap.

"Yes," Alex quipped before his father could say anything. "You got a problem with that, kid?"

"Are you as annoying as him?" Ari gave Justin a blank look.

Will pinched Ari's elbow, "Go play and be nice."

"She's so big," Justin said slightly awed. The last time Justin had seen her she had been so small and quiet. Now watching her run around the back yard bossing the older kids around and causing mayhem Justin realized how much he had missed.

'_Why did none of us try to find her and Will? Why did we just let them go?_' Justin began to wonder if there was a pattern with him. _'I didn't care that Anjelica was going to leave with Alex and I didn't care that Will left with Ari. What is wrong with me?_'

"Yeah," Will smiled after Ari rolling his eyes slightly when he saw her trying to get everyone to listen to her. "She's in preschool now and started playing soccer."

"She's like a weed," Alex stated. When he noticed all eyes on him Alex shrugged, "She won't stop growing."

"At least she doesn't have Will's ears," Sami butted in as her and Kate moved over to the table they were sitting at. "He took years to grow into those suckers."

"They still stick out a bit," Kate pulled on one of his ears before sitting down next to Justin.

Glaring at both of them Will insisted, "Well whose fault is that? I didn't pick which genes I got."

Alex leaned over and rubbed behind one of Will's ears and smirked, "I like your ears. When I start sucking right here your eyes roll back in your head. It's like a direct link to your co-"

Sami kicked her leg out and smiled when Alex hissed. "Anyway," she gave Alex an annoyed glance, "Since we're all here I think we should talk about the matter at hand." giving Justin a sweet smile Sami announced, "Justin and Kate are having sex and I'm the only one not involved with a former or current Kiriakis."

"Mother," Will sighed while pinching the bridge of his nose.

Alex looked between his dad and Kate with a look of distaste on his face. "I'm thinking we know which gene is responsible for that attraction." Turning to Sami he added, "Oh and I think Joey has the hots for you so you can just sleep with him and we'll be one big incestuous family."

Sitting up straighter, feeling extremely flattered, Sami said, "I'm going to pass on that but I'll keep it in mind."

"Really Sami?" Kate glared at her. "This is why no one tells you anything you giant blabbermouth."

"You didn't say not to say anything," Sami reminded her. "So it's your own fault."

"I'm pretty sure that's not how that works," Will started to say.

Justin, who had been fairly quiet, began to wonder how Will managed to put up with Sami and Alex at the same time. "Is this really what we need to be talking about?" Justin gave Kate a sideways glance.

"No," Kate insisted. "This is absolutely not what anyone needs to be talking about." '_This is what I get for confiding things in Sami Brady.' _

"OK," Sami adjusted in her seat, "Then I have something else we can talk about," she said tone dangerous.

Will got the feeling that whatever his mother wanted to talk about wasn't going to be pleasant. He looked at the time and knew he should start on dinner. "Before you get into whatever you're going to start," Will stood up, "I'm going to go start dinner."

"I'm going with you," Alex decided. "As much fun as it is to see Sami verbally castrating someone knowing it's my father takes the edge out of it a bit."

Sami waited until Will and Alex were inside before she leaned across the table and started talking, "Justin, you and I, we have a bit of history. You helped me out with the whole Bernardi situation. You helped Will with Nick. I'm going to assume that you decided to completely give up on Will because he hurt your son. I can respect that."

Justin quirked an eyebrow at Sami vaguely impressed that she even knew how to be understanding.

"However," Sami caught Justin's eye and refused to blink, "If you in any way try to ruin this for Will and Alex I will do whatever it takes to stop you."

"For Will and Alex?" Justin was a tad confused.

"Of course," Sami sat back in her seat. Checking on the kids quickly Sami said, "Who else would meet me for lunch so we can trash talk the people in our lives? Who else would unclog my drains? Who else would make my son happier than he's ever been in his life?"

Justin stared at Sami having a hard time reconciling the image she was painting with what he knew of both Alex and Will.

"I'm not going to sit around and point fingers about what happened with Will and Sonny," Sami knew if they got into that it would get ugly. "I don't know what Sonny was like after everything was over but I know what Will was like. And the Will that moved into my house was not the same person I knew from before. He was this depressed, insecure mess. I hated seeing him like that. And I am not going to let anyone come between Will and his happiness anymore."

Sami folded her hands together, "So if you aren't going to be able to handle Alex being in Will and Ari's life than you are walking out that door and never coming back. Understood?"

"Really?" Justin tossed his head back and looked at Sami quizzically. "And you think Alex is going to be fine with you butting into his life?"

"Yes," Sami smiled confidently, "If you think you're going to be able to convince Alex to stay away from Will or Ari you're very much mistaken. He loves them."

"Sonny used to as well," Justin remarked, "Things change."

"So do people," Sami flared her nostrils in irritation. "You haven't been around either of them to understand exactly how much they mean to each other."

"No," Justin admitted, "I haven't been. To be honest I've hardly ever been around Alex enough to understand him the way I should."

"Well take it from me," Sami retorted, "If I didn't think they were good together they wouldn't be together."

Kate, who had been watching the two of them converse, added, "I might not know Alex that well but I can tell how good they are for each other. Not just how good Alex is for Will either but how good Will and Ari are for Alex."

Justin mulled over what they were telling him. Combined with what Alex said earlier Justin was beginning to believe it all. '_But why did it have to be Will_?' Justin shook his head. '_Of all the people in the world for Alex to fall for why was it Will Horton?'_

"Maybe you're right," Justin closed his eyes, not wanting to see Sami or Kate's face at that admission, "But I don't want anything happening to my son." Knowing both of them were probably going to chime in loudly Justin continued, "And don't even tell me that it won't happen. All three of us know that eventually it will."

Finally opening his eyes Justin tried to explain his feelings, "None of us are naïve enough to think that everything is going to be perfect between them. Their history alone is enough to know that isn't true. And I'm sorry but knowing how much Will hurt Sonny makes me worried about what he could do to Alex."

Sami and Kate both opened their mouths to defend Will at the same time but Justin beat them to it.

"You two are worried about Will," Justin told them loudly, looking over his shoulder to make sure none of the kids could hear them, "But I'm worried about Alex. He might act like he's big and bad but he's fragile. He's never once been in a relationship this serious before. Hell I don't even think he's been in love before. And today," Justin shook his head in disbelief, "Today he explained to me that he met someone that got under his skin and he wasn't letting them go. Alex has never talked like that. So to find out the person that got to him, the person that made my son feel those things is the same person that hurt my youngest is a bit disconcerting."

"Maybe Will is different," Justin shook his head, "Maybe he's not. But I'm not going to rely on your word to convince me that my son is perfectly fine when I don't know that."

Kate shared a look with Sami before they both frowned. "Fine," Kate sighed. "I can understand that. I don't like it but I can understand it."

She also didn't like that she found Justin's protective attitude slightly attractive.

Sami crossed her arms and tapped her manicured fingers. '_I know exactly how vulnerable Alex is._' Pressing her lips together Sami rolled her eyes before saying, "You want to know the exact moment I knew I could trust your son with mine?"

"_Get the door," Sami yelled at Alex as she typed away at her laptop. _

"_Oh sure, make the guest do it," Alex groaned as he got off the couch. _

"_Some of us have real work to do instead of looking at naked models all day," Sami replied unconcerned with making him upset. _

_Opening the door and paying for the pizza Alex took it into the kitchen and tossed it on countertop. He got out a handful of plates Alex loudly yelled, "Pizza!"_

_He grabbed a few slices before getting out of the way of the four ravenous kids running in from outside. Lounging on the couch again Alex checked his phone one more time and frowned when he still didn't have a message from Will. _

"_He's at a work thing," Sami said slightly amused. "Quit worrying." _

"_Whatever," Alex mumbled under his breath as he took a bite of his pizza. '_I'm not worrying_,' Alex thought. _

"_Aw," Sami teased, "Do you miss him?" _

"_No," Alex said immediately, "Don't be stupid." _

"_Right," Sami snorted knowing Alex was full of crap. _

"_Maybe I'm just horny," Alex smirked at her, "I look at naked models all day after all." _

"_Uh huh," Sami said doubtfully. "Were you photographing a male or a female?" When Alex didn't answer right away Sami smiled knowingly, "You don't even remember. Now tell me again how you don't miss him." _

"_Oh shut up," Alex hissed before standing up and moving to the kitchen and away from Sami. '_Why the hell am I here if Will isn't?'

_Sitting down at the table with the kids Alex side-eyed all of them, '_What has my life been reduced to_?' _

_Sami, walking into the kitchen a few minutes later, stopped and smiled when she saw Alex looking at a picture Johnny was showing him. _

"_She's hot," Alex decided before he handed the class photo over. _

"_What's hot mean?" Ari asked innocently. _

"_How is their pizza sauce on your forehead?" Alex gave her a look before reaching out and attempting to wipe her clean. _

"_Don't touch me," Ari whined as she dodged the napkin. _

"_You look ridiculous," Alex rolled his eyes and handed her the napkin. _

"_Go take a bath," Sami ordered Ari as she sat at the table. _

_Sneering slightly at her grandmother Ari sighed dramatically and took her plate to the sink. Throwing it in Ari stomped towards the stairs before glaring over her shoulder at Alex, "Daddy said I'm not allowed to take one by myself are you coming or what?"_

* * *

"_Hey," Will smiled at his mother a few minutes later as he walked inside, "Where's Ari?" _

"_Why don't you go upstairs and find out?" Sami suggested laughing when Will followed her directions. '_This should be priceless_.' _

"_Can't you wash your own hair?" Alex grumbled. "I feel like this is something a 3 year old should be able to do." _

"_I get soap in my eyes," Ari explained. "Ow, stop pulling." _

"_Then you do it," Alex rolled his eyes. Getting off of his knees Alex reached up for the shower head and turned it on rinsing the shampoo out of Ari's hair. "You're washing your body," Alex informed her as he shut off the water. "I'm not touching that." _

"_Good," Ari huffed as she snatched the body wash out of Alex's hand and got started. "When's Daddy getting here?" Ari questioned. She wasn't quite as bad as before about him leaving but she still didn't like it when he was gone for too long. _

"_Beats me," Alex sat on the closed toilet seat, "But it's starting to get on my nerves." _

_Frowning slightly not entirely sure she knew what that meant Ari said, "He needs to hurry up. It's almost bedtime." _

"_You're telling me," Alex muttered so she wouldn't hear. "I guess with him gone that means I have to make you go to bed." _

"_Ugh," Ari groaned, "You don't know what stories I like to read or how to tuck me in." _

"_I doubt it's that hard," Alex shook his head. "Are you going to play in here or what?" Alex wondered looking at the bubbly water. _

_Will and Sami, both eavesdropping outside the door, shared a smile before Will knocked on the open door and walked inside. _

"_Hey," Will greeted with a wide grin. _

"_Daddy," Ari screeched with a wide grin. "You came back!" _

"_Don't I always?" Will kneeled on the tile and accepted her slippery wet kiss. "Now," Will smiled, "Why don't we get out and we can teach Alex how you like bedtime to go?" _

"_Do we have to?" Ari stuck her lower lip out._

_Alex rolled his eyes, "I'm just as excited as you are, kid." _

_After drying off and getting changed Will had Alex lay down on Ari's bed with him as she picked out her books. _

"_And now you read," Ari climbed over Alex and pushed her way between him and her daddy. _

_Alex looked at Will briefly before taking the book, clearing his throat and beginning to read aloud._

_Sami moved towards the stairs when Alex and Will were done tucking Ari into bed not wanting to be caught. _

"_I know you were just humoring me," Will told Alex, "But I appreciated it. And so did she." _

"_Well," Alex replied in a low voice, "If you promise not to tell anyone I'll admit that I kind of had fun." _

"_Really?" Will gave Alex a bright smile as his hands rubbed against his chest. _

"_I'm not repeating it," Alex retorted before kissing Will lightly. _

_When they pulled away Will asked, "And you were OK tonight without me?" _

_Snorting loudly Alex put his arm around Will and started moving them towards the stairs, "Are you kidding? I was perfectly fine." _

"_Oh really?" Will laughed, "You didn't miss me at all?" _

"_Maybe a little," Alex conceded as they passed Sami on the stairs. _

"_Just a little?" Will pushed as he grinned at his mom. _

"_I'm not repeating that either," Alex teased._

"So," Sami licked her lips, "Maybe Alex is going to hurt Will maybe Will is going to hurt Alex. Who cares? They want to be together and they love each other. I trust Alex with Will and Ari and I trust Will with Alex. That's good enough for me."

Looking Justin over Sami finished with, "I'm just warning you Justin if you try to do anything, anything at all similar to what you did after Will slept with Paul, you're going to lose Alex forever and no one is going to feel sorry for you."

* * *

"Alex," Allie yelled, "This isn't working!"

"Why would I care about that?" Alex shouted back before getting up and going to see what the problem was.

Justin watched his son go fix the blue ray player without much complaint. Justin had remained quiet throughout the entire dinner simply taking in everything he was seeing. It seemed almost impossible to him but it was right in front of his face. '_Everything Alex said was true. Everything Sami said was true. And I have no idea how to deal with that._'

Justin sat back and observed Alex the entire meal. He was loud mouthed and cocky as usual but he seemed so relaxed. Alex bantered with everyone so easily it was almost impossible to miss how close they all were. Justin wasn't even sure what to feel about the fact his son who had never truly felt comfortable around his own family slipped right into place with Will's.

Will cleared the table and put away all the leftovers. He figured he would give Alex and Ari a break from helping him since there were so many people over. Will had been afraid having Justin over was going to be as painful as when his dad, Adrienne and Sonny barged in on them. '_But it wasn't_,' Will thought as he put the dishes in the dishwasher. Justin hardly said a word but Will noticed he kept a sharp eye on Alex.

Will knew Alex was much closer to Justin than he was to Adrienne. '_But it's so weird_,' Will thought as he put the cleanser in the dishwasher and turned it on, _'In all the years I knew Sonny I hardly ever heard anyone talk about Alex. With the way Adrienne talked she had the perfect family but now I know the truth. In all the times Sonny would complain about my family or upbringing no one ever bothered to mention Alex.' _

The more Will thought about it the angrier he felt. '_What the hell was wrong with all of them to treat Alex the way they did? After all the crap that family gave me and mine and they were just as bad._' Will couldn't believe that Adrienne even had the nerve to come all the way from Salem to lecture Alex about being with him. '_She didn't even care at all about Alex. She just cared about Sonny_.'

Turning to glare at Justin Will desperately hoped he was better than that. _'He better actually care about Alex or he is not getting out of here unscathed._' Will knew between him, his mother and Ari Alex had more than enough support, _'More than he's ever had_.'

"What's with you?" Alex asked as he walked into the kitchen to make some drinks. He could see how tense Will looked, the way his shoulders were higher than normal. Alex knew nothing had happened while he was in the other room so he was a little confused.

Will wrapped his arms around Alex and squeezed him tightly, "Nothing."

"OK," Alex didn't believe that for a second but he wasn't going to push it. He ran the palm of his hand up and down Will's back hoping to relax him a bit.

"I just," Will finally said in a low voice, "I just really care about you and I don't like thinking about anyone hurting you."

"What are you talking about, crazy?" Alex leaned his head on top of Will's, "No one hurts me."

"Yes they do," Will whispered, "But I'm not going to be one of them. And I'm not going to let anyone else hurt you either, ever."

Alex pulled away from Will to look at his face. Seeing how determined Will looked Alex cupped his cheeks, "You're hot when you're protective."

"I'm serious," Will tried not to smile. "I'm not going to let it ever happen again."

Alex swallowed heavily after seeing the resolute expression in Will's eyes. Nodding once Alex leaned down and kissed Will lingering slightly. He didn't like admitting how good hearing things like that felt.

Justin, eyes trained on Alex and Will, wondered what the two were saying. '_God, I've never seen Alex look at someone like that, touch someone like that.' _

"I told you," Sami interrupted Justin's musings, "They're good for each other." Taking a deep breath Sami opened her mouth and demanded towards Alex, "Where's my drink?"

* * *

"Wait, wait, wait," Alex laughed loudly, face heated slightly from the few glasses of wine he had consumed, "You punched Adrienne in the face? Is there a video? Tell me everything."

Kate grinned widely, "That bitch had it coming."

Smiling at the way his grandma and Alex were getting along Will went inside to check on the kids and to see if he could get to Justin as he came out of the bathroom.

"You guys alright in here?" Will questioned as he saw all the kids lying on pillows on the floor watching a movie.

"Yeah Daddy," Ari answered for everyone. "Can we have dessert soon?"

"Sure," Will stepped precariously over all the lumps of children on the ground to make it to the kitchen. Walking past the stairs Will licked his lips when he saw Justin coming down from the bathroom. "Justin, could you help me with something real quick?"

"Sure," Justin followed after Will. He knew he needed to talk with Will one-on-one. Only now that the time was here he wasn't sure what to say. '_How do I start this_?'

Will opened the freezer and pulled out a few cartoons of ice cream. Grabbing some bowls and spoons Will started talking, "I know you aren't thrilled about me being with Alex. I know that you don't really have any reason to believe me but I can assure you that it wasn't intentional. I had no idea who Alex was related to when I started seeing him."

"You're right," Justin leaned against the cabinets behind him, "I don't have any reason to trust you. But I do trust my son." Clenching his fists together Justin said, "If Alex believes you then I believe him."

"Good," Will exhaled. '_This is already going better than what happened with any of his other family members_.' Opening up the fridge Will smiled when he saw a package of premade cookie dough. Turning on the oven and setting the temperature Will went to get out a cookie sheet when he began speaking with Justin again.

"I know that a lot of things have happened between us," Will explained as he kneeled down to look through a cupboard. "And," Will stood up and faced Justin, "I'm not interested in rehashing the past either. I just want to make it perfectly clear that I'm not going to let Alex be hurt by myself or otherwise."

Justin crossed his arms as he examined Will's body language. Despite how focused he had been on Alex Justin noticed several changes in Will. '_He doesn't sound like a petulant whining child anymore. He sounds like an adult. A confident adult._"

"Otherwise?" Justin repeated just now beginning to process what Will was saying.

"Yes," Will opened the cookie dough and quickly spread them on the baking sheet. "You and I both know that Alex likes to pretend nothing touches him but he feels everything. Maybe he doesn't react to it but he feels it and he remembers it. So I'm not going to let anyone ever hurt him again even you."

"Me?" Justin wasn't sure what to make of the turn in the conversation. '_This wasn't what I envisioned at all.' _

"You, Adrienne, Sonny, me, anyone," Will stood up straight and looked directly at Justin. "I know every single thing about Alex, everything. And if you're not going to support him in this I need you to let me know now so I can prepare him."

"Prepare him? Will I don't-" Justin honestly wasn't even sure what to think now.

"Because he might not say it but I know it hurts him that Adrienne hates me," Will loudly began to talk over Justin, "And it upset him that Vic's still warming up to me. Sonny's a mess. Joey is the only one that doesn't care and you have absolutely no idea how much that means to Alex. If you aren't going to try with this, if you are going to run out and find someone to try and replace me with I want to know now. Because I'm going to be the one comforting Alex about why once again another member of his family doesn't care about him."

Justin opened and closed his mouth several times. His eyes followed Will as he put the cookies in the oven and set the timer. Heaving a deep sigh Justin closed his eyes and slumped forward slightly, "I-I don't want to upset or hurt Alex. He's my son. Of course I don't want that."

"Well then you need to decide what you're going to do," Will told Justin firmly. "Because I'm not letting you disappoint him again."

* * *

Justin wandered back outside wincing slightly at the loud, obnoxious laughs coming from Alex, Kate and Sami.

"You know who I can't stand?" Sami looked between Alex and Kate, "Jennifer! Does she have a life? Does she do anything interesting ever?"

"And she's so sanctimonious," Kate agreed loudly, "But look at her train wrecks for children. A plus parenting right there."

Sami, face darkening slightly, nodded, "Exactly."

"And what's up with the hypocrisy in your town?" Alex wondered as he started gesticulating widely. "Will does bad shit and it's the end of the fucking world but other people it just gets swept away." Seeing his father sitting there Alex pointed at him, "Like this asshole! He cheats on Adrienne all the damn time and no one cares. Adrienne cheated on him too no one gave a crap."

"You're right," Kate blinked several times. "Those bastards!"

"And why the hell does everyone go around saying my name like it's an insult?" Sami demanded. "Anyone should be so lucky to be as strong and determined as I am."

"Fuck Salem," Alex declared as he lifted up his nearly empty wine glass.

"Here, here," Sami agreed reaching across the table and clinking glasses with Alex.

Kate tapped her glass in there as well.

Justin looked between Alex and Kate for a few seconds before lifting his glass and clanking it against the others, "Eh, what the hell?"

* * *

Will walked outside with bowls of ice cream and cookies balanced on his arms. Judging by the empty bottles of wine on the table and the amount of expletives coming out of Alex's mouth Will figured they were having a pretty good time. For some reason the thought of Alex sitting around drinking with his mom and grandma made Will ridiculous happy.

Will started passing out the dessert and made a loud oomph-ing noise when Alex yanked him into his lap. "Hi," Will laughed as he found himself nose to nose with Alex.

Feeling warm and content and a little bit tipsy Alex licked his lips and said, "I missed you."

Ignoring the cooing sounds to the side of him Will held Alex's face between his hands and kissed him, "I'm gonna tease you so bad about this in the morning."

"Worth it," Alex declared before kissing Will gently.

Justin took a spoonful of his ice cream before shaking his head. He had his decision. '_It's like I told Alex earlier. Whoever can put that smile on his face can't be that bad.'_

* * *

"You can stay here if you want, Grandma," Will told Kate as they stood by the entrance to the front door. "I don't mind."

"No," Kate yawned widely. "I'm fine going with Justin. But thank you for having me," Kate swept her hair away from her face, "Even if you did manage to get me drunk."

"Well text me tomorrow and maybe we'll see you again," Will shook his head with a small smile. "Kids," Will called out, "Come say bye."

Justin stood just outside the door talking with Alex. "It was good to see you," Justin smiled at Alex. "It's good to see you like this."

"I'm an embarrassment," Alex covered his hand, "Tipsy off of three glasses of wine. My god the shame."

"I meant happy," Justin laughed, "Happy, healthy, loved. It looks good on you."

"Thanks," Alex responded in a quiet tone looking down at his bare feet.

Ari, done hugging her great grandma, walked out the door in her pajamas and tugged on Justin's arm.

Smiling at Ari, still amazed she had grown so much, Justin kneeled down so he was at her level.

"If your Alex's daddy does that make you my grandpa?" Ari asked bluntly.

Alex's eyebrows lifted on his forehead and he barely sputtered out a, "What?"

"I'm not talking to you," Ari informed Alex. Looking back at Justin she asked, "Does it?"

"Um," Justin wasn't sure what the correct response was here. "What do you think?"

"Hmm," Ari hummed as she appraised Justin. "I don't think I have a grandpa so I guess you can be mine now." Hugging him quickly Ari patted Justin's arm, "But next time you're supposed to bring me presents in case you didn't know."

"Ari," Will scolded slightly as he leaned against the door. He was a bit surprised Ari went out of her way to ask Justin if he was her grandpa but Will wasn't entirely fooled. He saw that tiny smirk behind her smile.

"What?" Ari looked at her daddy innocently.

'_She is going to be a menace to society_,' Will thought. '_God help me when she becomes a teenager_.'

Justin slowly stood up; his joints weren't what they used to be after all. He stuck his hand out towards Will, "Will, it was nice seeing you again."

"Likewise," Will gave Justin a small smile as he shook his hand.

"Hopefully we'll be able to do this again soon," Justin said earnestly. _'And I mean that. I do want to be a part of Alex's life no matter who else is in it.' _

"If Joey has his way we will," Will laughed slightly. Moving aside for his grandma to join Justin when their cab arrived Will hugged her one last time before they walked down the front path.

Ari yanked on Alex's hand until she had his attention. She lifted her hands up and waited until he scooped her into his arms and carried her inside.

Will shook his head as he closed the door and saw all three of his siblings all ready for bed on the floor in the living room. _'Nothing like an impromptu sleepover because Mommy's too drunk to drive_.'

"Come on," Ari whined to Alex. "Tell them my story."

"What story?" Alex yawned as he dropped to the couch and grunted when Ari bounced against him before rolling to the side.

"You said you'd tell me about the knight turning into a dragon and how the princes got their pretty princess," Ari reminded him as she stared at him with big, watery blue eyes and a pouty lip.

Lifting up both of his arms Alex smiled when Will sat down on his other side and Ari adjusted until she was comfortable against his chest. Seeing that Johnny, Allie and Sydney were all listening in too Alex cleared his throat and began, "Once upon a time the devastatingly handsome princes went on a journey to the kingdom of Vegas where they met an annoying little elf in a hot spring."

Will relaxed against Alex and couldn't dim the grin on his face as Alex's voice got louder and even more animated the more he went on. When Alex finished telling the tale of the knight-turned-dragon Will noticed Ari was fast asleep as were the rest of the children.

"Do you want me to move her?" Will whispered to Alex as he rubbed against his chest.

"Nah," Alex shrugged, "I'm good."

"Yeah, you are," Will agreed as he kissed Alex's cheek and snuggled back against him.

* * *

Author's note:

I'm hoping Justin's reactions made sense. I wanted him to actually be concerned about Alex and not so much worried about Will like everyone else was. Hopefully that came across.

Thanks for reading and please let me know what you thought.

Also a special thank you to fellow writer iluvhors3s for keeping me motivated and focused on this project. Your help has been invaluable.


	7. Chapter 7

"Daddy," Ari bounced up and down excitedly in the kitchen, "I want to wake him up now."

"No," Will chuckled as he started pulling out the ingredients they were going to need, "Let Alex sleep in a little bit."

"But I don't want to wait," Ari whined as she stomped her feet impatiently.

"You don't want to wait?" Will asked in an overly sarcastic voice. "I'm shocked. Go get the eggs out of the fridge and help me with breakfast."

"Fine," Ari agreed reluctantly as she precariously climbed into the refrigerator to reach the eggs on the top shelf.

"What are you doing?" Will laughed. "Go get your step stool you goof."

Getting the stool she used in the kitchen Ari stood next to Will at the counter as Will read the recipe and started following the directions.

"This is his favorite, right?" Ari checked with her daddy.

"Yep," Will helped Ari crack open an egg into the bowl without getting the shell everywhere.

"OK, good," Ari happily started mashing the egg together and stirring everything up. "I want everything to be just right."

"Well I'd say it's going to be," Will reassured her. "You made an excellent plan. I'm sure Alex will love it."

"Good," Ari said quietly before noticing the smile on her daddy's face. "I mean whatever."

"Uh huh," Will shook his head in amusement, "You've been spending too much time with Alex little girl."

"It's true," Ari nodded as her long braid fell to the side of her face. "Grandma always tells me he's a bad influence."

"Well Grandma is one to talk," Will rolled his eyes. "I think you and Alex are both good influences on the other except for your language."

"I don't see why he can say it but I can't," Ari argued.

"Of course you don't," Will mumbled under his breath as he started following the harder part of the instructions.

"Daddy did you get the cake?" Ari pulled herself onto the counter and swung her legs back and forth.

"Grandma's going to bring it over with dinner," Will reminded Ari. "We've got it all covered."

* * *

"Shh," Ari hushed Will loudly as they walked into Will and Alex's bedroom.

Will refrained from rolling his eyes. '_I'm not the one making the noise_,' Will thought as he put down the plate on the side table. Watching Ari climb into the bed Will mused, '_Boy am I glad I made him put on underwear last night.' _

Crawling until she was sitting on Alex's back Ari giggled when he didn't wake up. "Oh Alex," Ari called. "Wake up."

Alex grunted in his sleep but didn't stir.

"Hmm," Ari stuck out her lips while she thought. "Oh," she smiled at Will, "I know." Jumping up and down on top of him several times Ari started yelling, "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"

Alex started awake, "Ah! What is it? What? What?"

"Yay," Ari rolled off of him and against the pillows, "You're up!"

With his hair sticking all over the place, barely even awake, Alex grumbled, "What?"

Will pushed Alex over onto his back and kissed his cheek, "Morning."

"Guess what?" Ari poked his bare arm several times.

"Huh?" Alex rubbed underneath his eyes and yawned.

"It's your birthday!" Ari cheered.

"Oh, right," Alex shrugged. He didn't see the big deal. '_It's just a birthday_,' he closed his eyes and hoped he could go back to sleep.

"No sleep," Ari shouted. "We made you breakfast and you have to eat it."

"Did you make it?" Alex looked at her cautiously. He had eaten a few things Ari had tried to make herself and he was not falling for that again.

"She stirred," Will reassured his boyfriend as he grabbed the plate of food and handed it to Alex.

"Wow," Alex responded as he sat up quickly. "You made the French toast stuff I like."

"And bacon," Ari pointed at it excitedly. "It's your favorite."

"It is," Alex nodded. He was a little unnerved by how wide Ari's smile was but it kind of felt nice too. "Thanks," Alex told Ari and Will as he started eating.

"Well it's your birthday," Will sat next to Alex, "You should have all your favorite things."

"Guess what?" Ari started bouncing up and down again. "I have plans for all day. It's going to be the best day ever." She leaped off the bed and ran to her room to get the card she made. She wouldn't give Alex his present until after he had his cake but he could have this.

"You didn't have to do this," Alex turned to Will and kissed him gently.

"It wasn't my idea," Will insisted. "Ari planned everything out for you all by herself. I'm just the benefactor and chauffer."

"Really?" Alex cut his French toast and hoped Will couldn't tell how touched he was. "Well I should have known since she didn't stay at Sami's yesterday."

"Yes really," Will kissed Alex on the cheek, "You big sap." Knowing Alex would start arguing Will asked, "What would you do as a kid on your birthday? I know when you were an adult so don't remind me."

Alex lifted one shoulder and took a bite, talking with his mouth full, "Normal stuff. Birthday parties and the whole shebang."

"Oh yeah," Will smiled as he snuggled closer to Alex, "I somehow can't picture you with a bounce house."

"Pff," Alex teased. "I'm too sophisticated for that shit. But my birthday was usually the one day I got everything I ever wanted. Probably to make up for the other 364 days out of the year I was ignored."

"I'm surprised Adrienne wasn't extra rude to you on that day," Will said actually kind of amazed.

"Right?" Alex agreed. "If she knew the day of my conception she'd probably dress in all black and act like she was going to a funeral."

Will snorted before he put his arm around Alex's head and started playing with his hair. "It seriously boggles my mind that she always gave my mom crap for the way she raised me," Will shook his head.

"That's my family," Alex took another bite and swallowed, "A bunch of hypocrites that think they're better than everyone else."

"Explains a lot about you," Will teased before pulling Alex into a syrup-flavored kiss.

"Gross," Ari announced as she came back in the room.

Will, chasing after the syrup flavor with his tongue, teased Ari, "You're just jealous I got to kiss him first."

Ari gave him a scathing look before declaring, "Kissing Alex is your job."

"You gonna tell me this great plan or what?" Alex questioned with a small smile.

"Yes," Ari handed her card over to Alex and started playing with the end of her braid nervously.

Alex read over the front of the card and crinkled his nose at the three stick figures on the cover that were clearly supposed to be Alex, Ari and Will. Opening it up Alex pressed his lips together when he saw that Ari had taken pictures of all the things she wanted to do today then cut and glued them to the card.

"Wow," Alex said tone a little bit softer than he usually used with Ari, "You even have us going to the Museum of Contemporary Art. I thought you hated that place?"

"I do," Ari nodded, "But you took me to the tar pit even though you hate that."

"It smells funny and it's ugly," Alex defended.

Will smacked the side of Alex's head lightly, "But you went anyway and Ari thought it would be nice to go to one of the places you like."

"I'm nice like that," Ari smiled sweetly. "Now hurry up and eat so we can go."

"I'd eat faster if someone would stop petting me," Alex swatted Will's hand away from him. _'Even though I kind of like it when he does that.'_

"How about I go do the dishes while you pick out what you want to wear?" Will suggested as he got off the bed and started herding Ari down the hall. Seeing Ari prance into her room Will walked back into his bedroom and grabbed Alex's face and pulled him into a deep kiss.

As soon as he pulled away Will smiled and said, "Happy birthday, Alex."

* * *

"You sure you still have the cake?" Will asked his mom as he talked to her on speaker phone while he finished the dishes.

"Yes," Sami insisted in an exasperated tone, "The cake is fine. I didn't spend all day helping Ari with it yesterday just to ruin it now."

"Well I'm making sure," Will knew he was being weird, "Ari really put a lot of thought into today and I don't want anything screwing it up."

"Well if anyone screws it up it's going to be a Kiriakis," Sami informed Will seriously, "Probably yours."

"Probably," Will agreed. "Just make sure you're here on time please."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Sami smiled, "See you later."

Will, drying his hand on his pants, pushed the disconnect button and finished the dishes. Hearing the doorbell ring Will tried to look out the kitchen window but couldn't see anything, '_Hmm wonder who that could be?' _

Will opened the door and blinked a few times before saying, "I really need to get a door with a peephole."

"Is that how you greet your big brothers?" Joey mockingly scolded before pulling Will into a bone crushing hug.

"Hi, Will," Vic lifted his hand in greeting while he shook his head at his brother.

"Hi," Will was about to invite them inside when Joey pushed past him.

"Now," Joey tossed a gift bag near the couch before rubbing his hands together, "Where is the birthday boy?"

* * *

Alex walked into the bedroom after taking a quick shower and headed straight for the dresser for his clothes. When he dropped his towel to the floor Alex jumped when he heard a loud catcall. "Fuck," Alex sighed as he looked in the mirror hanging on the wall and glared when he saw Joey and Vic lounging in his bed.

"What the hell?" Alex complained. "Why are you in my bed?"

"We're secretly having an affair with Will," Joey gave Alex a strange look. "Why do you think we're here?"

Alex continued getting dressed, "I'm sure it's for something dumb."

"I'm starting to think so," Vic teased. "Now come on like we were going to miss your birthday."

"You shouldn't have," Alex said as he yanked his shirt over his head. "No, seriously, you shouldn't have."

"Well," Vic shrugged a bit, "We were reminiscing about your previous birthdays and how much fun we had on them and figured we should come and see you."

"Yeah," Joey nodded. "Those are some of our best memories as kids. It was usually the one day you weren't arguing with someone on purpose."

"Gee, I wonder why that was," Alex muttered to himself as he attempted to fix his hair. "You just better not ruin this day for me. I've got big plans."

* * *

Ari stared at Joey and Vic unhappily as they stood in the kitchen.

"It's just for a little bit, baby girl," Will whispered softly as he walked over to the table, put down a box and sat next to her. "We'll leave in a few."

"Now," Will opened the box, "Why don't you draw something for Alex?"

Pouting slightly Ari pulled out a green piece of construction paper and some crayons and got to work. "OK," Ari agreed, "But I'm not happy about it."

"Wow," Joey said as he sat down across from Ari with a plate of French toast, "This tastes awesome." He pulled out his phone and sent a quick message before putting it back in his pocket.

"Yeah," Vic agreed as he finished swallowing his bite of French toast. "I don't know why mom always complained you couldn't cook."

Will gave Vic a blank look before saying, "I really didn't know how before. All I would make Sonny was a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. But," Will divulged, "I took lessons when I moved in with my mom. I decided I needed to learn everything I could to be completely independent."

"That sounds responsible," Vic smiled at Will. He was trying his hardest to keep an open mind about Will. '_If dad can get along with him so can I. Plus he's been really nice and understanding ever since I met him even when I was being a dick_.'

"So," Joey looked at Ari, "Little Miss Ari, I hear you've got Alex pretty well controlled?"

"Hey," Alex complained as he sat down at the table with a cup of coffee for Will and himself.

Ari nodded a bit shyly. She remembered Joey and Vic from a few months before but she didn't want them here today. '_I have plans_.'

"Do you think I can color with you?" Joey gave her a wide smile. He wasn't kidding when he told Will he wanted to be Ari's favorite uncle.

"OK," Ari slid him a piece of paper and a purple crayon.

"How long are you two planning on being here?" Alex demanded. "Because we've got an itinerary to follow."

"That's one thing I've always admired about you," Vic smiled at his big brother. "You've never changed."

"I'm serious," Alex replied in a dull voice. "Get out."

* * *

About an hour later a knock at the door sounded. Alex, complaining, ripped the door open, "What?"

"Why is that how you always greet me?" Justin asked as he pushed Alex aside and walked into the house with Kate following behind him.

Alex ran his hands through his hair, "You people need to leave."

"It's your birthday," Justin turned to Kate who was holding a large package. Taking the card off the top Justin handed it over, "And I wasn't going to miss it. So happy birthday, son."

Alex, torn between annoyance and pleasure, took the card and begrudgingly said, "Thank you."

Eyeing the present Alex questioned, "What's that?"

"Not for you," Kate headed towards the table where everyone was sitting. She met Will's slightly panicked eyes and said, "It wasn't my idea."

"Nope," Joey proudly declared, "It was mine. I figured she could tag along too since she's your grandma and whatnot."

Ari, busy making a birthday crown for Alex to wear, looked up and smiled at her great grandma before zeroing in on the large box in her hands, "Present!"

"You told me I needed to bring you one next time," Justin smiled at Ari's obvious excitement.

Will sighed when Alex slumped into the seat next to him, "She's going to be impossible come Christmas time."

Ari destroyed the wrapping on the box and opened it before gasping in surprise, "Oh my god! Daddy look!" Ari pulled out a large doll, "It's the princess I wanted."

"Always with the blonde hair," Alex noted as Ari started screeching in excitement.

"Did we pick the right one?" Kate asked as she smoothed over a few flyaway hairs from Ari's braid.

"Yes," Ari jumped out of her seat, abandoning her paper crown and hugging Kate and Justin before running to her play room.

'_We_?' Vic looked between Kate and Justin suspiciously. '_What have those two been up to during those long stays at the office?'_

"I guess that's one way to get her distracted," Will commented lightly as his eyes trailed after his daughter.

"How long are you people staying because we have plans?" Alex looked over everyone's faces, pausing to stare at the paper crown on Joey's head, "Unless you plan on coming too otherwise I have to insist you get the hell out."

"Have you always been this charming?" Kate wondered as she sat down at the table.

"Take me or leave me, Kate," Alex stated before they all sat in a bit of strained silence.

Justin, sitting next to Kate, cleared his throat and asked politely, "Will, I heard you have a big article coming up next month. How is that going?"

"Oh, um," Will sat up straighter in his seat to look at Justin. The two had been trying to get along for Alex's sake. Will appreciated the effort Justin was giving. It felt almost like before when Justin still liked him.

Alex, interrupting Will, said, "It's fucking awesome."

Justin frowned at his son's language, "I'm glad to hear it. Will?"

"Yeah," Will smiled and nodded. "It's been going really well. I'm really excited about it."

"Good," Justin gave Will a small smile. The more time he spent talking to Alex and Will on the phone, and even the one time Ari insisted on talking too, the better he felt about them. '_And god help us all Sami was right. Maybe they'll get hurt and maybe they won't but they owe it to themselves to find out_.'

"Aww," Joey gushed as he stood up, "We're bonding. And now I must go cement my place in Ari's life as the perfect uncle. Excuse me."

Joey grabbed the gift bag he brought inside earlier and headed off into Ari's toy room.

"Seriously though," Alex asked again, "When are you leaving?"

* * *

Ari paraded around in her brand new princess dress, one that matched the one on her new doll, twirling and spinning happily as everyone watched her while sitting in the living room.

"Admit it," Joey plopped down next to Will, "I'm her new favorite."

"You're off to a good start," Will patted his knee, "Unfortunately now you've set a precedent. She's going to expect this every time you see her just so you know."

"That is a bit problematic," Joey nodded, "But I'll find a way to top myself."

"Joey," Ari stomped her foot. "Follow me."

Joey jumped off the couch, "Geez I'm already getting yelled at."

"Welcome to a lifetime of being bossed around," Alex called after Joey as Ari grabbed his hand and dragged him away.

Justin looked at Alex, "Why do I get the feeling he's going to appreciate that more than you do?"

"I'm all for the kid hanging around me but I draw the line at dress up," Alex crossed his arms.

"You sure about that?" Will teased as he scooted closer to Alex. "Because I have a few pictures of you two."

"I was under duress," Alex insisted.

"Sure you were," Kate smiled as she saw Alex shifting uncomfortably.

Without thinking about it Justin put his hand on Kate's knee before saying, "So what else have you gotten for your birthday?"

"Cards and some calls from friends," Alex started telling them. "I apparently have to wait until later for my presents."

"Yep," Will smiled widely at Alex's mock pout. "You can handle waiting." Seeing the time on the clock nearby Will said, "But I'm not sure how much longer Ari is going to. We've already missed a few of the things she planned."

Vic, staring at his dad and Kate, said, "Well we were kind of hoping we could take you to lunch or dinner."

Will swallowed quickly. '_Ari isn't going to like this_.' "Well we have plans for dinner already but, um, maybe we could order something in for lunch," Will got up to go warn Ari.

"Good idea," Justin agreed as he looked at Alex, "Where's your favorite place?"

As Alex began explaining, looking visibly unsettled that everyone was listening to him attentively, Will hurried into the play room. _'OK, relax, it's fine. Ari will be fine. Everything will be fine_.'

"Holy crap," Will blurted out as he saw the mess all over the floor, "What happened here?"

"We're playing," Ari told her daddy as she dumped another bin of toys all over the floor.

Giving Joey a disapproving glare Will sighed, "You need to clean some of this up. You're going to trip and fall."

"Why are you blaming me?" Joey wondered. "I told her not to," he tried to say.

"Who's the adult?" Will rolled his eyes. He started throwing toys back into their proper place a bit harsher than he needed to.

"Daddy," Ari watched Will for a few moments picking up on his body language, "When are we going to go?"

Will pressed his lips together, "Not yet, sweetie. We're going to have something delivered for lunch."

"But," Ari could feel tears coming to the surface. "What about my plan?"

Will threw the toys in his hands on the floor and sat down across from her, "Maybe tomorrow we'll get to follow your plan."

"I thought he wanted to do it," Ari whispered sadly as she moved closer to her daddy. "He said he liked it."

"He does," Will reassured her. Pulling her into a hug Will rubbed her back before pulling back, "And we'll get everything figured out. Now what do you want me to order for you?"

Ari, knowing where Alex would want to order from, replied resignedly, "Spaghetti."

* * *

Will walked to the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Alex from behind.

Finishing his ordering and hanging up Alex leaned into Will's hold, "I got her spaghetti and you the alfredo."

Will smiled, "Just what we wanted." Taking a deep breath Will closed his eyes and rested his head on Alex's back, "She's not very happy."

"Well either am I," Alex grunted.

"Yes you are," Will kissed the bit of skin showing above his shirt. "They all remembered your birthday and you like that."

Alex pursed his lips, "I found a reason why I don't like serious relationships."

"Oh yeah," Will hummed before letting go.

"I can't hide shit from you anymore," Alex pulled Will into a hug.

"It's cute that you think you ever hid things from me," Will said kissing Alex before he had a chance to complain.

* * *

Everyone was sitting around the table. Alex had to drag a few patio chairs from outside so everyone would have a seat.

"You eat your spaghetti like Alex used to," Justin told Ari as he saw the mess all over her face.

"How dare you?" Alex complained. "I was a perfect child."

Vic choked on his breadstick and began coughing loudly.

"Even I know that's complete crap," Will laughed as he handed Ari a napkin.

Joey whacked Vic on the back a few times until he could breathe again. "That's like saying I'm the normal twin."

"No one is buying that," Kate informed Alex.

"Come on kid," Alex looked to Ari, "Back me up here."

Ari shook her head and pointed her thumb down.

"Face it, son," Justin chuckled, "You're out numbered."

"When are you people leaving again?" Alex wondered bluntly as he took a bite of his ziti.

"Will," Justin swallowed and wiped his mouth with his napkin, "Did Alex ever tell you about the time I took him to the zoo and he screamed when he saw the-"

"He doesn't need to know that," Alex rushed out loudly.

"I think I do," Will argued with a smile. "I wanna know."

"You people seriously need to go," Alex said again as he stabbed his food. Watching Will's face light up talking to his father though Alex decided it wasn't all bad.

* * *

"If we leave now Daddy," Ari told him as he helped her put on a new, stain-free dress. "We could still go to that park again."

"I don't think we're going to make it today," Will told her honestly. He hated watching her face fall. "I know you worked really hard but we can still do everything tomorrow."

"What if they all leave?" Ari asked quietly. "Then could we go?"

Will sighed, "I don't think they're going anywhere. They want to be with Alex on his birthday just like you do."

"He's my Alex," Ari crossed her arms and pouted, "I don't want to share."

"It's just for a little bit longer," Will grabbed one of her hands and helped her off the bed. "Then Grandma will be here with dinner and cake and you can give him the present you made."

* * *

"Beautiful," Kate praised. "Now turn around and walk back. OK make sure you keep your head up and your shoulders back."

Ari, following the instructions, strutted down a pretend runway. Turning around and dramatically striking a pose Ari glared at Joey when he was not following fast enough behind her.

Joey hurriedly caught up and followed Ari down her runway once more. '_Who knew a four year old could be this demanding?_' Joey thought.

"Explain to me again why it's my birthday and she gets all the presents?" Alex asked out loud attempting to sound annoyed. '_OK fine so I like it when she's happy_.'

"Because everyone likes me better," Ari announced with a smile. "And I'm cuter," she turned on her heel and began walking the other way.

"Ridiculous," Alex snorted. "Everyone knows I'm the good looking one in the family."

"Hey," Vic chuckled. "You're not the good looking one. You're the skanky one. Joey is the goofy one. Sonny is the nice one and I'm the good looking one."

"Boys, boys, boys," Justin interrupted appearing very serious; "I'm the good looking one. You are all just extras."

"Mmm," Will pretended to think as he looked over all of their faces, "I think I'm going to agree with Justin on this one, sorry."

Alex reached over and pinched Will several times. He laughed when Will weakly fought him off and Ari came bouncing over to help him.

"OK, OK," Will gave up, "I take it back." Pulling Ari onto his lap Will shook his head, "Ari is the best after all."

"Of course she is," Kate agreed loving the bright smile on Will and Ari's faces.

"That's why I get the presents and you don't," Ari stuck her tongue out at Alex.

Getting an idea for a new game to play Ari wiggled off her daddy's lap and grabbed Joey's hand to pull him away. After shoving Joey into her play room Ari ran back to grab Vic too.

Justin tried to stop smiling so widely but he couldn't. '_This is how I imagined Sonny's life would have been like when he first married Will_,' Justin thought. '_Brothers playing with Ari and everyone happy_.' Looking around the room Justin shook his head, _'And now everything is different. I'm with Kate. The twins live in Salem. And Alex is in love with Will Horton._'

Justin, caught in his reflections, startled a bit when Will sat down gingerly next to him. Justin had been so focused he didn't even notice when Kate sat next to Alex and began looking at a few of his portfolios. Turning to face Will Justin lifted his eyebrows up wondering what he had to say.

Will wasn't entirely comfortable around Justin yet. He still remembered how Justin used to look at him once he moved back to Salem. '_He looked at me like I was the worst thing in the entire world for hurting his son._' Will knew Justin made his grandma hire Paul just like Will knew Justin encouraged Paul to go after Sonny. _'Maybe that was for the best after all_.'

Smiling Will put a photo album on Justin's lap, "I thought you might like to see some pictures of Ari."

Opening the book Justin grinned and nodded his thanks, "I do. I really, really do."

Listening to Will tell the story behind each picture Justin nodded and laughed in all the right places. When Will and Ari left everyone was upset for a time. _'But eventually we all slowly forgot about them. We went on with our lives not even stopping to realize that Ari was growing up and forgetting all about us too.' _

Justin flipped the page. His eyes were immediately drawn to a picture of Alex, Will and Ari. Will had Ari in his lap. The two were laughing about something while Alex watched them. '_I've never seen Alex look at anyone like that.' _

Will paused in his explanation when he realized Justin was fixated on a picture of Alex.

"He really loves you, both of you," Justin murmured lowly. "Doesn't he?"

"Yes," Will replied confidently. "He does. He has for a long time, longer than he's willing to admit."

"He was always hard to figure out as a kid," Justin started telling Will, "I never knew if he was happy or sad or resigned. But now," Justin traced over Alex's face in the picture, "Now I definitely know the difference."

Will took the album from Justin and took out the picture. Handing it over he told Justin with a shrug, "I've got it uploaded on my laptop."

"Thanks," Justin carefully took the photo and placed it on his lap.

* * *

"Have you always been like this with Alex?" Justin wondered curiously. He and Will had been chatting for a while as Kate listened to Alex talk about his photos.

"Like what?" Will questioned politely. Talking to Justin was getting easier and easier as the day went on.

"Confident, happy," Justin tried to find the right word to describe the differences in the Will he saw now versus the one he knew before. "I don't know. You're just different with him than when you were with…"

Listening to Justin trail off Will gave him a small smile, "You can say Sonny. It's not like it's a secret." Will scratched his ear as he tried to find the right way to explain things to Justin, "And no. I wasn't always like this with Alex. It took a long time. I was a giant mess when I first met him. I was committed to making myself better but it was a long process."

"And Alex helped you?" Justin was almost amazed at that. He loved Alex but Justin was under no illusions he was the type of person who willingly helped others.

"Yeah, Alex was great," Will nodded. "There was one time though that I knew he was definitely just as committed to helping me as I was to helping him."

"Do you mind telling me?" Justin wasn't sure exactly what Will was willing to divulge and what he wasn't.

"He invited me to an art showing some of his friends were doing," Will began, "And I realized how ridiculously out of place I was."

_Will sat down with a drink in his hand at a small table away from any of the art. He felt a bit weird being here with Alex. _'I don't really get art the way these people do_.' Will certainly wasn't going to tell Alex he didn't want to be there. Will knew how much Alex sacrificed by hanging out with Will's family all the time. '_I can suffer through a night of not fitting in_,' Will reminded himself. _

_Although he was beginning to get a sense of déjà vu. As he slipped lower in his seat Will was reminded of the days Brent used to hang around Sonny. Will would try to contribute to the conversation or add his ideas only to be completely ignored. It wasn't like Alex was discounting Will exactly though. Will understood that he was just talking about art. '_And I don't need attention every second we're together_,' Will closed his eyes. '_But I don't understand this stuff at all. I don't have anything to offer Alex_.' _

_Nibbling on his lower lip Will tried to take a few calming breaths. '_What does it matter that there are people that can talk to Alex about this stuff in ways I can't? Who cares if they clearly like Alex for more than his art? Who cares that Alex doesn't do relationships and children and, and, and staying home. Alex wouldn't be with me if he didn't want to be. It's not like when Sonny would tell me he wanted to be with me but would stare at Paul like he hung the moon. It's not the same. Alex doesn't lie. If he invited me here it's because he wants me here. If he didn't want me here he would tell me. It's not the same. It's not.'

"_Hey," Alex put his hand on Will's shoulder and almost pulled it back when Will jumped. "What's with you?" _

"_Nothing," Will said automatically before rolling his eyes at himself. '_You don't lie not to Alex_.' _

"_Actually," Will stood up and pulled Alex to the side so they were a bit farther away from any of the other artists. "I feel like I shouldn't be here," Will admitted blinking several times so he wouldn't cry. '_Stop being pathetic Will Horton. Stop it_.' _

_Alex frowned as he listened to Will. He knew earlier that Will was beginning to feel a bit down but Alex didn't think it was a big deal. "Why?" Alex put his arms around Will's waist and pulled him close. _

"_It's stupid," Will wouldn't look at Alex's face. _

"_Yeah I'm sure it is," Alex nodded before putting his index finger under Will's chin and lifting it up. "Now tell me anyway." _

_Licking his lips and glancing into Alex's deep blue eyes Will asked, "Why are you with me?" _

"_What?" Alex's forehead wrinkled in confusion. That wasn't what he thought Will was going to say. "What are you going on about?" _

"_You could be with anyone," Will answered firmly completely believing that. "Any guy or girl I just don't understand why you would want to be with me. I-I'm not exactly bringing anything to the table here. And I've done my fair share of feeling like I'm unworthy of being with someone, of being looked at like I'm less than my partner. So just, why?" _

_Alex's grip on Will's hips began to tighten to an almost painful level. It pissed him off beyond belief that Will had to ask him this question. '_What the fuck am I doing wrong to not make him see_?' Alex scolded himself. He knew that Will's insecurity issues weren't going to disappear overnight but Alex thought they had been making progress. _

_Never before had Alex been with anyone long enough to care if they were confident and stable. He'd fucked many girls and guys that looked up at him like they were trying to drink in his personality. Like they were trying to leech off of him whatever they could get. _'But Will isn't like that. Will looks at me like I've got all the fucking answers. He looks at me like I'm the greatest fucking thing he's ever seen. He doesn't beg me for compliments or need me all the damn time._' _

_Alex knew Will was trying his best to get better. In the months that they had been together Alex had seen Will go from shy and terrified to confident and assured. _'But then there's nights like tonight where he gets that look in his eyes. That look like he's staring off into the past and I have no idea how to draw him back to the present.'

_Taking a deep breath Alex said, "I probably could get with whoever I wanted. I'm sure I could walk up to anyone in this room and get them to go home with me if I tried hard enough." Alex smiled a bit when Will didn't flinch away from him, didn't close his eyes or cry at that admission. "But I don't see anyone but you. I haven't seen anyone but you for a long time." _

"_And I know you don't get that sometimes," Alex revealed. "And I don't understand it either because sometimes I look at you and I can't really look away. And I think about you all the time and I don't know why. When I'm talking to people I think about how if you were there you'd say something or interrupt in a certain way. And I know that's not me." _

"_I know that it's never been me," Alex moved closer to Will, "But I like it. I like that when I'm in my studio I miss you. And I like that the kid makes me help read her a story to bed. And I like that stupid smile you get when I say something nice to her. And every time I see you naked I have to stop myself from reaching for my camera seriously every time." _

"_I don't care that you don't like this stuff as much as I do," Alex gestured to all the photographs and art pieces. "I don't get writing the way you do. I don't care what anyone thinks about us either. As long as Ari and your family want me around I don't care. They're the only people whose opinions mean anything to me." _

"_And god," Alex couldn't get himself to shut up. "In what universe would you not be worthy to be with me? That's fucking bullshit. You are all kinds of interesting and good looking and you're mine. All mine. If someone has a problem with that I don't give a fuck. Because I love you." _

_Will nodded a few times before smiling. He didn't know why he couldn't remember that all the time. He hated that he still doubted Alex from time to time. He knew what it did to Alex when Will was unsure. _

_Finally releasing his hold on Will's hips Alex held Will's face gently in his palms. He brushed his thumbs along Will's cheekbones, sounding a bit cautious, "You're the only person I've ever been in love with before. And I thought I was doing a good job making you know that." _

"_You are," Will replied voice feeling a bit choked off and wet. "It's me, my issues. I just don't want you to wake up one morning and realize this isn't what you want." _

"_That isn't going to be a problem," Alex reverted back to his usual tone. "You and the kid? Definitely all I need. Now come on," Alex started pulling Will towards a display, "I'll explain this one to you. Oh but I should tell you that I've fucked the sculptor before." _

"_Of course you did," Will huffed a bit although this time he found it a bit funny._

"_She's hot," Alex said seriously, "But there's a reason you're the person I've fucked the most in my life." _

"_Oh yeah?" Will tried not to smile. _

"_At first it was because of this," Alex grabbed a handful of Will's ass, "But I guess that whole being in love with you thing makes sex better after all." Alex waited a few beats before he added, "Also because you can deep throat me. Now that I should take a picture of." _

"_Alex," Will laughed loudly almost completely forgetting his doubts from before. _

"_I think it would be an interesting collection," Alex said in a snooty tone. "Who wouldn't want to see your throat bulging and your eyes all pretty and wet?" _

"_If you stop talking maybe I'll give you a reminder when we get home," Will hit Alex's stomach weakly. _

_Smiling at Will using the word home Alex agreed, "Sounds like a deal to me." _

"Well I didn't need to know that last part," Justin tried not to focus on that, "But the rest of it was actually sweet."

"Sorry," Will chuckled in embarrassment.

"No," Justin assured Will. "It's fine. It's actually nice knowing that Alex likes you for more than just sex."

"Well that's what he liked me for at first," Will admitted. "But it went on from there."

"I'm beginning to see that, yeah," Justin nodded.

Hearing the doorbell Alex went to answer it assuming it was Sami. '_Although why she would be ringing the bell instead of just using her key I don't know.' _

Opening the door Alex felt his mouth dropping open, _'Definitely not Sami_.'

"Hi," Adrienne nervously played with her hair as she stood on the doorstep. She knew she was taking a bit of a risk coming here again. _'But it's his birthday and I had to see him_,' Adrienne wasn't going to back down from this. '_Even if all I get to say is happy birthday it will be worth it to show Alex that I do love him.' _

"Hi," Alex said after staring at her for a moment. He noticed Lucas standing behind her nervously.

"If you don't want to see me that's OK," Adrienne rushed to explain. "I just wanted to tell you happy birthday in person. So happy birthday." Without giving Alex time to think Adrienne hugged him tightly.

Alex stood there without moving for a while before he patted Adrienne on the back. '_What the fuck is happening today?' _

"Uh," Alex said a bit stupidly. Wincing a bit when he heard Joey and Vic loudly announcing Princess Ari was coming into the room Alex forced out, "I guess you should come in or whatever."

Ari, who had put on every bit of dress up accessories, wanted to show off her outfit. However when she sashayed into the room she frowned when she noticed no one was looking at her. Putting her hands on her hips Ari glared when she saw everyone staring at Alex and two adults she vaguely recognized from a few months ago. Looking at her daddy Ari took a deep breath when she saw him crossing his arms and biting his lower lip.

"Hello," Ari tried to get everyone's attention but no one was listening. Narrowing her eyes Ari turned on her plastic dress up heels and trudged back into her play room.

Everyone sat around the living room in a strained silence. Justin, sitting close to Kate, refused to look at Adrienne or Lucas. Adrienne and Lucas both refused to look at Justin or Kate. Joey and Vic each tried to engage one parent into a conversation. Will and Alex shared a look not knowing what to do with the situation now.

"Well," Will cleared his throat and politely said, "Everyone keeps telling me how great Alex's birthdays were. Why doesn't someone tell us their favorite one?"

Justin and Adrienne both opened their mouths to speak at the same time before stopping and turning away from each other.

'_Right_,' Will thought as he clutched Alex's hand, '_There's really no way this can get any worse._'

The front door opened with a bang as Sami, Johnny, Allie and Sydney all noisily paraded into the room.

'_Guess I was wrong there_,' Will thought as he stood up to help his mom with the food and the cake.

* * *

Ari sat on the counter and complained, "I don't want them here anymore. I want them to go home."

"I know," Will and Sami were getting everything ready for dinner. "I don't really want everyone here at once either. But Alex doesn't get that many opportunities to be around his family, Ari."

"He's around his family all the time," Ari argued as she banged her feet against the cabinets in irritation. "He spends every Sunday with us."

Sami smiled to herself listening to Ari and Will talk. She sincerely loved that Ari believed Alex was part of their family.

"That's true," Will paused and took a moment to compose himself. It always got to him whenever he heard Ari or Alex refer to each other like that. '_They've come such a long way from when they first met_.'

"But Alex has brothers and sisters and his parents too," Will attempted to explain to Ari. "So we need to be nice to them even if we don't want them around," Will knew he was saying that last part for his own benefit as well as Ari's.

"But they're ruining everything," Ari said in a panicked tone.

"It will be fine," Will walked over to her and held her face in his hands. "Alex isn't going anywhere and tomorrow we'll have our super fun day. For right now though we're going to give him this. He doesn't get it very often."

"Get what?" Ari asked even though she felt like crying.

"Alex isn't used to having all of his family members shower him with attention like you," Will tickled her tummy a little to get her to smile. "This is good for him."

"If you say so," Ari sighed dramatically before getting off the counter. "Can I put on my swim suit now?"

"Yes," Will informed her before yelling at her retreating back, "But make sure someone helps you put sun screen on!"

"So," Sami said once her and Will were all alone. "What the hell is happening here?"

"They just keep coming and coming," Will shook his head in annoyance. "Ari was OK at first but she's not handling it very well now."

"I noticed," Sami pointed out. "She always knows when you're upset or freaked out. It tends to freak her out too."

"I know I'm not exactly helping," Will pursed his lips. "I-I was fine before dad and Adrienne got here but they just make everything worse."

"Yeah," Sami figured as much. "Well we just have to power through and maybe they'll finally listen to Alex and leave."

"Hey," Sami put her hand on Will's arm as he started to walk away with some plates and cutlery. "I'm proud of you for this," Sami smiled at Will.

"Proud of what?" Will wasn't sure he understood.

"This," Sami waved her hands around. "When you first moved here with Ari you wouldn't have been able to handle a situation like this with all these people. But you're trying so hard and I just wanted you to know that I noticed."

"Thanks," Will looked at the stack of plates in his arms a bit bashfully. He knew what his mother was talking about. He knew what kind of shape he was in when he first moved in with her. '_Good thing I'm not like that anymore and neither is Ari.' _

Sami watched Will walk outside and couldn't stop from remembering that first week after Will and Ari moved into her house.

_Sami walked into the front room and frowned when she saw Ari sitting on the floor staring at Will while he talked on the phone. Sydney was trying to get Ari to play dolls with her but Ari was too concentrated on her father to notice. _

'I really hope he takes my advice_,' Sami thought as she sat down on the couch and waited for Will to be done. _

"_OK," Will calmly said into the phone, "Thank you, bye." _

_Will hung up and sat back down on the couch beside his mother. _

_Sami, noting that Ari went back to playing as soon as Will was near, faced her son, "Did you get it?" _

"_Yeah," Will nodded. "I got the job. I can start Monday." _

"_Aren't you excited?" Sami hated seeing his face so expressionless and pale. _

"_Of course," Will shrugged, "He said he liked my pieces and he was happy to have me writing for them." _

"_You don't sound very happy about it," Sami pointed out. "Do you want to celebrate? We could all go out somewhere for dinner." _

"_No," Will immediately replied looking over at Ari who froze instantly at the suggestion. "No that's fine. We can just stay here." _

"_Are you sure?" Sami hated seeing Will like this. She never thought she would want her defiant, borderline rude son back. '_I want the Will that calls me out on things not this quiet, meek thing he's turned into.'

"_Yeah," Will drew his legs onto the couch and closer to his chest. Keeping his eyes trained on Ari Will sighed, "I'm sure." _

Sami shook her head as she followed Will outside with part of their dinner. '_I've got _my_ son back_,' she thought. '_And I know exactly who I need to thank for that_,' she looked over at Alex who was trying so hard not to smile at something his father was telling him.

* * *

The entire group sat outside eating dinner in a tense manner. Joey tried to keep the conversation flowing but with the deep history surrounding everyone it was a little hard. Will in particular was having a hard time keeping track of both Ari and Alex's moods. He knew Ari was getting agitated the quieter it got. Having Johnny, Allie and Sydney kept her distracted for a little while but Ari wasn't used to this many people being around them at a time. '_And she really had her heart set on that plan she made for today.' _

Will knew he shouldn't give Ari everything she wanted but it was difficult not to. He knew she was still adjusting to moving from Salem and away from Gabi. Yes, they got to talk on the phone and sometimes they got to Skype but it wasn't the same as seeing each other in person. '_Plus she's still reeling from what happened in Salem and moving and getting used to Alex. It's just hard to not look at her when she's sad and not want to do anything it takes to make her happy again_.'

'_At least Alex looks like he's fine_,' Will noted. Even though Alex spent more time asking everyone to leave than actually talking Will could tell Alex appreciated everyone being here. _'Now if I could only find a way for them both to be happy at the same time that would be great.'_

Alex watched as Will and Sami started clearing the table after dinner was over. Normally he would help but he was taking advantage of the fact that it was his birthday. As long as Justin and Kate stayed at one of the tables and Adrienne and Lucas stayed at the other table everything seemed to be fine. '_Well for the most part,_' Alex admitted. Normally he wouldn't want anyone making a big deal about his birthday but he was kind of liking the fact that everyone came to see him.

'_Not that I plan on telling anyone that though_,' Alex planned on keeping that to himself.

Listening to Vic explain what it was he did, (Alex still didn't know and didn't really care to), Alex saw Ari get out of the pool and head over towards him.

"Alex," Ari whined as she grabbed her favorite cup and attempted to get a drink. "It's empty."

"So go get another drink," Alex shrugged. He knew the kid was pretty annoyed about the day but she didn't normally cling to him so much. Ever since Adrienne and Lucas got there she kept coming up to him and asking him questions.

"No, you do it," Ari handed him her cup and glared when Alex didn't even look at her.

"Uh, no," Alex lifted his eyebrow at her. "Go inside and get it yourself," Alex turned back to face Vic and therefore was unprepared when Ari threw her cup on the ground and started screaming at him.

Will dropped the sponge he was holding as he did the dishes when he heard Ari yelling. Rushing back outside Will dropped his mouth open when he saw Ari kick her cup in Alex's direction and heard her shouting that she wanted everyone to leave and never come back.

Without saying anything Will scooped Ari up and took her inside wincing when she shrieked that everyone could shove it. '_Damn it, Alex_,' Will thought after hearing that.

* * *

Will gently put Ari down on her bed and watched sadly as she grabbed her stuffed rabbit and stared at the wall.

Giving her a few moments to catch her breath Will sat down next to her and asked quietly, "You want to tell me what that was all about?"

"I don't like everyone being here," Ari whispered as tears fell from her eyes.

"I can see that," Will laid down against the pillows and lifted his arm for Ari to move against him. "Why does that upset you? Having everyone here?"

"Because they're going to take him away," Ari mumbled against Will's chest. "And then he won't be mine anymore."

Will frowned a bit as he rubbed up and down Ari's back, "Just because people are here doesn't take Alex away from you. It's like when he goes to work or you go to school. People are here for him now but he still loves you."

Ari shook her head weakly, "They make me feel bad."

"How do they do that?" Will really wanted to understand what was going through Ari's head. "I thought you were having fun?"

"It was fun at first," Ari sniffled as she adjusted until her chin was resting on her daddy's chest so she could look at him. "Then the other people came and I didn't like it anymore."

"Why not baby girl?" Will encouraged. "What changed?"

"They make you feel bad," Ari admitted. "They make you feel like you were before and I hate it. I hate them. I want them to go away and not come back."

Will didn't want to hear his baby daughter talk about hating anyone especially because of something he was doing. "I, um, what does that mean, sweetie? How was I before?"

"Sad," Ari crawled further onto Will and buried her face in his neck. "You were always sad and I don't want you to be sad and I don't want them to take Alex away from us because he makes us happy. Don't let Alex leave."

"Where would I be going?" Alex said from the doorway before coming inside. He shoved himself against Will and tapped Ari on the head, "Hmm?"

Ari clung to Will harder not wanting to talk to Alex.

Will gave Alex a half smile. Still rubbing his hand up and down Ari's back Will sighed, "Do you want to call your doctor, baby girl?"

Ari shrugged slightly without answering.

"Probably a good idea," Alex said out loud. "Here I was thinking the kid hated me when really she wants me around all the time. I feel the love."

Ari grunted refusing to speak to Alex.

"It might be a good idea for you to talk to her again," Will moved his hands up to Ari's head and massaged her scalp. "For all of us to talk to her. You liked going to her office, remember? She has all those fun toys."

"I liked the puppets," Ari admitted reluctantly as she popped her head up.

"Wow," Alex said loudly, "She has a face."

Ari stuck her tongue out at Alex and tried to wipe her eyes. She didn't like crying in front of Alex.

Will sat up with her and made sure she was on his lap and looking right at him. Fixing the loose hairs that came out of her braid Will smiled, "You know I'm happy. Happier than I've ever been in my entire life."

Ari nodded. She didn't remember a lot from when she was much younger just sensations and emotions. She knew her daddy was unhappy for a very long time. She knew they were alone. That they had to move far away because everyone left them behind.

At first when Ari moved in with her grandma and all her aunts and her uncle she was upset. She thought they were just visiting. She didn't realize they were never going back home. She thought she wouldn't see her mommy or the others again. But she did get to talk to her mommy on the phone and sometimes they got to chat face to face on the computer.

Ari remembered how alone her and her daddy used to feel when they were in their old home. No one would come and see them even though Ari begged and begged. Ari never understood why everyone just left. So Ari did everything she could to make sure her daddy wasn't going to leave either. '_That's why I had to go see the doctor with all the toys,_' Ari remembered. She was scared at first but Johnny, Allie and Sydney told her the lady was nice.

Unfortunately Johnny told her he had to see the doctor because his dad was dead and never coming back. '_Johnny got in a lot of trouble for that_,' Ari smiled remembering how loud Grandma got when she yelled at him. _'But he deserved it. He scared me into thinking my daddy wasn't coming back too._'

Staring up at her daddy's face Ari put her hands on his cheeks like he did to her sometimes. '_My daddy isn't going anywhere, ever._' Glancing at Alex Ari thought, _'And I'm not letting my Alex go anywhere either.' _

"I know, Daddy," Ari said after she sniffled a few more times. "I'm happy too."

"But?" Will knew she had something else to say.

"But I don't want anyone taking it away," Ari revealed. "I don't want you to be sad like before then I would be sad."

"That's not gonna happen," Will smiled at her. He knew there really wasn't any way to promise her nothing would ever make them sad again. He also knew he couldn't promise that he would always be together with Alex.

Remembering the advice from the child psychologist Will took put his hands over Ari's, holding them to his cheeks, "Right now, baby girl, you have me and Alex and we aren't going anywhere. We're going to be here for you."

Alex took a deep breath, "Exactly." He reached over and plopped Ari off of Will and into his own lap. "Who else is going to be there telling me when I'm doing things wrong? How would I live my life without my annoying little shadow, huh?"

"I'm not annoying," Ari gasped out, "That's you!"

"What?" Alex demanded seriously. "Now I know you're talking crazy."

Ari crossed her arms and turned away from Alex. She looked at her daddy again and said, "I take it back. They can have him. I don't want him anymore."

"Oh no," Will smiled, "There's no taking it back. You wanted him and now you're stuck with him."

"No," Ari mock whined.

"I feel so loved," Alex deadpanned. "And on my birthday too, wow."

Ari giggled a bit before smacking her hands over her mouth.

"Uh oh," Will informed Ari, "I heard that."

"No you didn't," Ari shook her head several times.

"Oh yes we did," Alex grinned. "You laughed. That means I win."

"No," Ari insisted. "I didn't laugh at all."

"Ha ha," Alex proclaimed, "I think that means I get to do whatever I want."

Ari huffed in annoyance. Whenever Ari would get upset or in trouble they always played the game of who can get the other to laugh first. She hated when Alex won and she didn't.

"As my prize," Alex proclaimed loudly, reaching out for Will and pulling him in close. "Tomorrow we have to do everything I want."

"But-" Ari started to protest. '_Daddy promised we could do my plan tomorrow_!'

"And what I want," Alex cut Ari off, "Is to follow this weird plan I found downstairs." Alex pulled a handmade card out of his back pocket. "I don't know who wrote it out but I like it."

Will leaned his head on Alex's shoulder with a wide grin on his face.

Ari started jumping up and down on Alex, "That's my plan!"

"Is it?" Alex said sounding genuinely surprised, "I almost forgot."

"I told you he wanted to do it," Will smiled at Ari. "But," Will interrupted Ari's gushing, "We're only going to do it if you go downstairs and apologize."

Ari's face fell, "Why?"

"Because you were rude to all of them," Will reminded her. "I know it's scary for you that so many people were there taking away Alex's attention but that doesn't mean you get to yell at them. You know better than that."

"Besides," Alex bucked his knee slightly so Ari would topple to the bed, "It's my job to yell at them not yours."

"Fine," Ari decided after a few moments. "But I still don't have to like them."

"That's good," Alex helped her up off the bed, "I don't really like them that much either."

"No?" Ari grabbed her daddy's hand and helped him up too.

"Of course not," Alex laughed. "Who wanted them barging in on my day with you and Daddy? Not me. I just wanted to spend all day with my two favorites."

"Really?" Ari stopped them at the top of the stairs.

"Obviously," Alex replied trying to sound bored. "If I've told you once I've told you a thousand times kid. I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

Everyone sat in the backyard in relative silence. The only sounds were the kids splashing in the pool. Sami had done her best to not say anything to anyone. She wanted to burst out an I told you so but refrained. Thinking about Ari's little meltdown Sami couldn't help but wonder if Will was going to make her an appointment with the doctor again.

Sami had convinced him to take Ari to see the same psychiatrist that she took her kids to after EJ died. She realized that was something she really should have done for Will when he was a child as well. Since there wasn't anything Sami could do about that now she vowed to help Will with Ari in any way she could to make up for all the mistakes she made with Will.

Sami knew that Ari was still having a bit of a struggle with everything. Looking over at Adrienne and Lucas whispering together Sami had a fairly good idea what they were talking about. It took all of Sami's strength to not fly across the patio and slap one of them. _'How dare those people come into Will's home after everything they did and be surprised Ari isn't a perfectly well adjusted child_?'

She would say the same thing about Justin except he at least was trying now. Ever since the impromptu visit from Justin and Kate, Justin had made an effort to get to know Alex, Will and Ari all over again. Sami and Justin had even had a few conversations when Kate would call. Sami might not have forgiven Justin for purposely trying to hurt Will but she contemplated thanking him for it. '_If Justin hadn't of helped pull Sonny away from Will then he would still be miserable. And now Will is working on being happy and healthy and so is my granddaughter. I might not like how it happened but I'm glad everything worked out in the end_.'

Joey wanted to break the uncomfortable silence so badly. He didn't do well under tense situations. He had to do something to bridge the gap here.

"So," Joey cleared his throat. He had no idea what he wanted to say so he said the first thing that came to mind, "Dad are you having sex with Sami?"

'_Well that's one way to make an awkward silence even worse_,' Joey realized_. 'Oops_.'

Justin, who was sitting between Kate and Sami at a table, lifted his eyebrows at his son, "Excuse me?"

"I'm just wondering," Joey started to ramble, "Because you've been talking to her and I eavesdropped and I know you've been talking on the phone and I know you were here earlier in the summer and saw her and you look comfortable so I assumed. Plus it would be some sort of weird poetic justice that Will's parents had somehow swapped with Alex's."

"You are so embarrassing," Vic put his head in his hand, "How are we twins?" _'Obviously it isn't Sami dad's been sleeping with.'_

Kate sputtered a bit inelegantly. She resented the idea that her boyfriend would be sleeping with Samantha Brady of all people. Disregarding their long history of being attracted to the same men Kate wanted to put her hand on Justin and stake her claim.

Sami opened her mouth, "What? Your dad's sleeping with Kate not me."

"Thank you for that Samantha," Justin hissed at her.

"What?" Sami held up her hands innocently. "Again no one told me I wasn't allowed to talk about it. And I'm not letting anyone think I'm sleeping with you."

"What?" Lucas spat out. "Mom, what? What's she talking about?"

"Um," Kate didn't know how to respond exactly.

Adrienne glared between Kate and Justin. She knew her marriage with Justin was over and she was happily in love with Lucas now but that didn't mean it didn't hurt hearing about Justin with someone else. '_Why did it have to be Kate Roberts? Is he purposely doing this to hurt me_?'

"You really can't keep your mouth shut about anything," Justin shook his head at Sami. "It's a wonder you haven't been to jail more times than you have."

"You're just mad I'd rather sleep with Joey than you," Sami retorted with a falsely sweet smile.

"Really?" Joey asked brightly. He edged his chair closer to Sami's when Vic kicked out his leg preventing him from moving. "Oh come on! Alex and Dad get one but I don't?"

"I'm starting to think you have some sort of mental deficiency," Vic told his brother.

"You stay away from my son," Adrienne said in a tight voice.

"Oh for god's sake," Sami rolled her eyes. "It was an inside joke. We have those because we're an actual family. Unlike you and that thing I had children with we share things together."

"Hey," Lucas stated loudly, "Don't talk to her that way."

"Oh sure," Sami crossed her arms, "I say one truthful thing to her and you're ready to defend her but she treats your son like crap for years and you don't even care."

"This is not what I had in mind when I wanted to make things less awkward," Joey told himself out loud.

Justin shook his head before standing up and shouting, "Silence!"

When everyone stopped talking and looked towards him Justin pushed his shoulders back and sat down, "Not that it's anyone's business but yes Kate and I have been seeing each other. No," Justin looked at Joey, "I am not sleeping with Sami. Yes, we have been talking but that's only because I am trying to get along with everyone in Alex's life. No," Justin looked at Adrienne, "Joey is not sleeping with Sami."

"Now," Justin took Kate's hand, "Can we all please act like adults and not children? Thank you."

Silence engulfed everyone again.

"So," Joey looked like he was trying to work something out. "Will is both my brother and my nephew?"

"Huh," Vic frowned. "If Dad marries Kate that would make us Will's uncles yeah."

"Will's dating his uncle," Joey said as his eyes got very wide.

"Technically," Sami added. "Paul is my step-brother so it's not the first time Will's been down this road."

"Our step father is also our step-brother," Vic shook his head.

"Will's baby mama was also his step-aunt at one point in time," Sami mused as though the idea just dawned on her.

"Wow," Joey whispered in awe, "I need to call Maury Povich."

"No one said anything about getting married," Kate argued. "So just stop that thinking right now."

Before anyone could get back to talking the backdoor opened and Ari, Will and Alex walked back outside. Ari, turning back to look at Will, sighed loudly before saying, "I'm sorry I yelled at you and told you to go away."

"And?" Will prodded.

"I'm sorry I threw my cup on the ground and kicked it at Alex," Ari reluctantly admitted. "And told everyone to shove it."

Alex had to cover his face so no one would see him smile.

"Thanks baby girl," Will patted the top of her head. "You can go back in the pool now."

Ari happily skipped off to the pool.

"That was relatively painless," Alex told Will as he guided him towards one of the free seats.

Will balanced on the arm of the chair as he agreed with Alex. "Much better than the time she bit that kid at school. Although I am going to make an appointment." Will looked over at Ari splashing Sydney and rested his head against Alex's, "It worries me that she still hasn't adjusted to everything," Will said.

"Well," Alex rubbed his hand up and down Will's arm. "She hasn't really done that in a while. And I can understand why she did today. There's a lot of people and she's right that you're stressed. Plus I was kind of a douche. But we do need to call the doctor."

"Doctor?" Vic questioned. "Why does she have a doctor?"

"She has a psychologist," Will gave Vic a half smile.

"Why?" Adrienne demanded a bit harsher than she meant to.

Alex shot an unforgiving look in Adrienne's direction before answering, "Because the kid was traumatized after her entire family abandoned her."

"We go to see her every now and again," Will answered in a much softer tone. "She gives us tips on how to help her when Ari gets anxious."

"That's," Lucas thought it over, "Actually a really good idea."

"It is," Will replied in an odd tone. "It's the same doctor the kids go to," Will nodded at his brother and sisters.

"Really?" Lucas didn't even know Allie was in therapy.

"Yes," Sami turned to Kate and shared a look. _'Idiot,_' they both thought.

"You did something helpful for your children?" Adrienne couldn't stop herself from asking.

"Why is everyone always surprised by that?" Sami looked at Will. "Hmm?"

"I don't think you want me to answer that," Will smiled at his mom. "Love you," Will laughed when she glared at him.

"Can we get back to the traumatized child?" Joey wondered. "Traumatized how?"

"Well when we first got here," Will started to explain. He didn't particularly care if his dad or Adrienne heard this stuff. '_They should hear it. They need to hear it_.' "To California I mean she wouldn't let me leave her sight."

"She'd wait outside the bathroom door for him sometimes," Sami added.

"But she's made a lot of progress now," Will smiled thinking about the changes in Ari.

"The biggest change of course is some loud mouth pain in the ass," Sami grinned at Alex.

"Love you too," Alex smirked at Sami.

"She tried to claw his eyes out the first time they met," Will laughed loudly.

"Aw," Joey cooed, "And now she's throwing plastic cups and having temper tantrums because he was paying attention to someone else. That's adorable."

"Anyone else think it's ironic that a kid close to Alex throws tantrums and talks the way Ari does?" Vic shook his head with a smile.

"Well that's my kid," Alex leaned back in his chair and pulled Will closer against him.

Will beamed widely, _'Oh my god he doesn't even realize he just said that, does he_?'

* * *

Adrienne was having a very stilted conversation with Alex about his artwork.

"Yeah," Alex shrugged not really sure how to talk to Adrienne, "It's going well. I just don't really know if I'm going to get anything nearly as good as the ones from the showing."

"Maybe you should use Will as your model again," Adrienne suggested surprising even herself.

Alex looked at Adrienne completely taken aback, "Um that's what I'm thinking too if he'll let me."

"Why wouldn't he let you?" Adrienne wondered as she took Lucas' hand in hers and squeezed. This was the longest, pleasant conversation she had had with Alex in years.

"I kind of didn't tell him I was going to show the photos," Alex admitted looking away from Lucas. "I might have told him no one was ever going to see them."

"I can see why that would be a problem then, yeah," Lucas said feeling rather uncomfortable talking about someone photographing his son naked.

Justin walked over to Alex and tapped him on the shoulder. Holding out his phone Justin explained, "Victor wants to talk to you."

"Oh goodie," Alex rolled his eyes as he got up and walked a bit away from everyone else to have some privacy.

Justin followed after him getting a bad feeling about this conversation.

"Hello," Alex said into the phone with very little expression in his voice. He never understood the big deal about his uncle. '_He might have been cool when he was younger and doing badass things but now he's just old and useless._'

"Alexander," Victor gruffly replied. "I nearly forgot it was your birthday."

"That's OK," Alex, seeing his father give him a pointed look, replied as politely as he could. "Thanks for remembering."

"Of course," Victor nodded. "I've heard that you've been seeing someone. Who is it?"

"Uh," Alex licked his lips. From what Joey and Vic had told him Victor despised Will and Sami both. Alex was by no means ashamed of his relationship but he wasn't entirely sure he was ready to get into it tonight.

Before he had a chance to decide what he wanted to say Sami, who had been talking with Will, Joey and Vic, loudly screamed, "William Robert Horton you take that back!"

"Who was that?" Victor asked in a deadly serious voice.

'_Well that takes care of that decision,_' Alex thought before replying, "Who do you think it was?"

"Alexander Kiriakis, why is Samantha Brady with you?" Victor demanded.

"Probably because I'm dating her son," Alex answered before standing up straighter knowing he was in for a long conversation.

Victor was silent for a few moments as he took the time to process what that really and truly meant. "No," Victor finally said.

"Yes," Alex told him definitely. "That living together, sleeping together, and helping him with his daughter thing all kind of indicate that I am."

"This is unacceptable," Victor started to yell. "Do you know what kind of person Will Horton even is? Don't you even care how this is going to affect Sonny?"

"Sonny?" Alex hissed starting to get pissed off.

"That boy has hurt your brother," Victor shook his head, "I knew I should have dealt with him accordingly so nothing like this could happen again."

"Excuse me?" Alex snarled in a low voice.

Justin, who had overheard the conversation, knew he couldn't allow this to continue. _'Alex doesn't deserve this. Will doesn't deserve this. It's Alex's birthday._'

Before Alex could start laying into Victor Justin snatched the phone from him and said, "Victor before you start an argument you will never be able to win I think you should know something." Giving Alex a weak smile Justin said in a clear, concise tone, "I've been seeing Kate for months now."

Alex blinked at his father a few times as he heard Victor loudly yelling over the line. As Justin waved him away Alex had to admit he felt a bit impressed that his father was willing to deflect the attention off of him like that. _'I guess he does care,_' Alex thought. But he still couldn't shake the mounting anger he felt towards Victor.

'_It's always about stupid fucking Sonny in this family,'_ Alex shook his head. '_Why bother asking if I'm happy or not with Will. Oh no let's worry about Sonny.' _

Sami glanced over at Alex and saw him moodily glaring at the ground as Justin started arguing into his phone. Before Will had the chance to get to Alex Sami told her son, "Why don't you get the kids out of the pool and I'll get the cake ready?"

Walking towards the house Sami grabbed Alex by the elbow and yanked, "You're helping."

"Get plates," Sami ordered as they walked into the kitchen.

Alex opened the cabinet and slammed it closed when he was done before doing the same as he got forks.

"You going to tell me what that was about?" Sami questioned. "Although hearing how Justin was arguing I think I can take a guess."

"It was Victor," Alex admitted angrily.

"And you're pissed because…?" Sami fished for information.

"Because he didn't even listen about what I was going to say about Will. All he fucking cared about was his precious Sonny," Alex growled. "And fuck him for saying anything about Will to anyone. He has no fucking right to be judging him when he's done everything Will has several times and then some."

"Well," Sami had her own less than favorable opinion on Victor Kiriakis. "We all know how Victor is. He thinks he's above everyone else. It's a theme in your family actually."

"I know," Alex rolled his eyes.

"Now," Sami pulled the cake out of the refrigerator. She was glad she put it in a traveling case so Alex couldn't see it yet. Sami put it on the counter before she turned to face Alex. "I have something for you," she told him. "Wait here."

Alex closed his eyes and tried to shake off his anger. _'It doesn't matter. Everyone else is here today and they're trying to give me and Will a chance. Victor doesn't matter.'_

"Alright," Sami came back and held something behind her back. "I'm sure you'll make fun of it but I don't care."

Taking the rectangular photo paper when Sami handed it to him Alex lifted his eyebrows as he studied it.

"I know it's still early but I loved those pictures and I figured it would be nice," Sami rushed to explain. "Now that everyone knows about you and Will and whatnot."

"They are nice," Alex admitted in a soft voice.

Sami had taken two pictures they had all taken when they went to Disneyland and put them together for a Christmas card. One of the pictures was just the children, Ari, Johnny, Allie and Sydney. The other featured the children plus Will, Alex and Sami. The bottom had all of their names followed by a generic holiday greeting.

Alex didn't know why he liked the damn thing so much. It wasn't like he didn't know Sami considered him part of her family now. But it was one thing to know it yourself and another for everyone to know. Sami was going to send one of these cards to literally everyone she knew. '_Everyone in Sami's life and Will's life is going to know about me, about us.' _

Sami carefully examined Alex's face. Usually he had a wonderful poker face but she detected a smile. "You like it," Sami declared happily.

"It's not even a birthday present," Alex deflected.

"You love it," Sami teased before she pulled Alex into a hug. "And I love you," Sami said seriously.

"Oh god," Alex groaned. "Don't start with that bullshit."

"It's true," Sami knew Alex hated talking about emotions and all that but she was going to force him into it. "You make my son ridiculously happy and my granddaughter."

"I'm pretty sure I made her throw a fit," Alex reminded Sami as he pulled away from her and refused to look at her face.

"Of course you did," Sami laughed and shook her head, "That's what you do. But you also love them."

"So," Sami continued, "I just wanted to thank you for helping to turn them both around."

Alex waited a few moments before saying, "You're welcome."

"You want to know the first time I saw Will smile once he came to live with me?" Sami asked. "And I mean really smile."

"OK," Alex said wondering where this was going.

"_You were out kind of late last night," Sami told Will when she saw him dragging himself down the stairs and into the kitchen. _

"_Yeah," Will yawned as he went straight for the coffee. _

"_You're getting serious about this mystery guy," Sami smiled a bit behind her coffee cup. _

"_Not really," Will shrugged. "We go out sometimes and that's it." _

"_OK if you say so," Sami didn't believe that but she wasn't going to push. '_As long as he's leaving the house and having fun I don't care.'

_Will sat down at the table with a bowl of cereal and started eating. He still had a little bit of time before he had to wake up Ari so she could get to daycare. _

_Sami tried to covertly watch Will. She had noticed a little bit of a change in him recently. He didn't seem as stressed or as tightly wound. '_I guess getting laid is good for him_,' she though trying to hold in a laugh. _

_Will looked at his phone when he felt it vibrating in his pocket. Seeing a text from Alex Will pressed his lips together and opened it nervously. As he was reading Will was unaware that a large grin began spreading over his face. _

"_What is it?" Sami asked immediately. _'What's got him smiling like that_?' _

"_Um," Will tried to keep it together. "Alex wants to have lunch with me today." _

"_Alex?" Sami grinned. "Is that the name of your mystery man?" _

"_He's not a mystery," Will rolled his eyes. _

"_Uh huh," Sami hummed. "He must be pretty special if he can put that smile on your face again." _

"_What smile?" Will questioned. _

"_That one," Sami pointed at Will's face. "I haven't seen that smile since I moved out here." _

_Will looked at his cereal and kept eating. _

"_Well whoever he is," Sami got up from the table, "I'm going to have to thank him one of these days." _

"_He'd just make fun of you," Will told her a little sheepishly. "He's not very big on emotional scenes." _

"Well does Will know me or what?" Alex asked sarcastically. "I'm going to make fun of you so badly now."

"Oh grab the cake and shut up," Sami smacked Alex's arm.

* * *

"You are not singing to me," Alex asserted as Sami pulled out a candle and a lighter from somewhere.

"Sure we are," Joey argued as he put his arm around Alex. "Don't ruin our fun."

Ari climbed onto Alex's lap and clapped her hands, "Singing and cake now."

"Ugh," Alex groaned. "If you insist."

Will pulled off the top covering the cake and watched to see Alex's reaction.

Alex laughed when he saw the cake. He knew instantly that Ari had done the decorating since half the words were illegible and the drawings were rather crude.

"Hmm," Alex said, "I wonder who could have made me this."

"Me," Ari announced looking over her shoulder at Alex like he was stupid. "Obviously," Ari rolled her eyes.

"Gee, I never would have guessed," Alex moved her to his other knee when Will leaned on the arm of his chair.

"Well she insisted on making your favorite," Will put his hand on the back of Alex's neck and gently playing with his hair.

"And now we're going to sing and you're going to like it," Sami informed him as she put a single candle in the cake and lit it.

Alex sat there as everyone began singing to him and he let Ari blow out his candle. '_This day actually hasn't been that bad_,' Alex admitted, '_It would be better if everyone left but still. Can't complain_.'

* * *

Alex stood at the door telling Adrienne goodbye. Looking to the side Alex wasn't surprised to see Allie hanging onto Lucas as Lucas talked with Will.

"Thanks or whatever," Alex told Adrienne when he turned back to face her. "For coming I mean."

"I know," Adrienne gave him a brief smile before hugging him once more. "I know things have always been hard between us but I do love you," she whispered before kissing his cheek and pulling away.

Lucas, detaching Allie and pulling Will into a tight hug, said, "Thanks for having us."

"Yeah," Will nodded feeling a bit surprised by the force of the hug. "It was nice to see you," Will politely replied. He smiled slightly when Ari peaked out from behind his legs to wave at them shyly.

Lucas shook Alex's hand before he and Adrienne left.

Before Alex had a chance to close the door his father and Kate appeared at their side.

"Son," Justin patted Alex's hand. "I know you weren't expecting us and we derailed some plans but thank you."

"Next time you could try calling," Alex pointed out. "Will would be more likely to answer though."

Will, hugging his grandma, huffed, "Sure make me take all your calls."

Justin smiled fondly at Alex and Will. He wouldn't go so far as to say he approved of their relationship but he was getting there.

"Thanks for dealing with Victor for me," Alex told his father as they shook hands.

"Well you definitely owe me one now," Justin hugged Alex briefly. "Happy birthday, son," Justin told him. "Goodbye, Will," Justin nodded at him.

After getting a hug from Ari Justin and Kate were out the door.

Will smiled when he saw Joey and Vic kneeling on the floor telling Ari goodbye.

"I guess it could be worse, huh?" Will nudged his shoulder against Alex.

"Now it's our turn," Joey announced loudly as he stood up and hugged Will from behind. "Baby brother, I hope you rock his world once we leave."

Vic gave Joey a look of distaste, "No one wants to know that."

"It's a given anyway," Alex announced as he yanked Will away from Joey.

"Well I figured otherwise you wouldn't still be together," Joey teased. "And I would just like to remind everyone that I, for sure, am now the favorite uncle."

"Really?" Will looked over his shoulder to see Ari excitedly explaining something to a very patient Johnny.

"Damn it," Joey complained, "I'm being usurped by a pipsqueak."

"Give it up," Vic patted his brother consoling on the back. "Just cut your losses and move on."

"I will not rest until this is done," Joey vowed dramatically.

"Uh huh," Alex grunted. "Can my birthday present be you two getting the hell out?"

"If you wanted us to leave," Vic said attempting to be serious, "You could have just told us earlier."

Alex glared at his laughing brother, "You assh-"

"Thank you for coming," Will rubbed Alex's chest and smiled at Joey and Vic as they left.

* * *

Will and Alex were waiting in Ari's room after everyone left. Ari was brushing her teeth and using the restroom. As soon as Ari finished and came into her room she snuggled in between them.

"Hey," Will asked curiously, "Do you like Joey?"

Ari thought about it for a moment, "Yes he makes me laugh and brings me presents."

"Why did I know that was going to be the reason why?" Alex looked at Will and rolled his eyes.

"You can't just like people because they give you presents," Will attempted to explain. "You need to like people because they're nice to you or you have fun with them."

"Well he was nice to me and I had fun with him because he brought me a present," Ari said as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

Will closed his eyes and shook his head. _'Definitely need to ask her doctor for advice about this.'_

"Now," Ari demanded, "Tell me my story."

"It's my birthday," Alex argued, "You tell me the story."

Ari contemplated it for a moment, "OK. Once upon a time…"

* * *

Will closed the door behind them and they headed hand in hand towards the stairs. At the very top Will put his hands on Alex's shoulders and shoved him against the wall and kissing him deeply.

Alex, a bit surprised, placed his hands in Will's hair and pulled him closer angling their heads just right.

Will nipped at Alex's bottom lip before pulling away, "I have a surprise for you."

"Do you?" Alex smirked as his hands slid down into the pockets of Will's jeans.

"Mmm hmm," Will hummed. Will smiled teasingly at Alex, "But I need to make sure it's perfect."

Lifting up one eyebrow Alex wondered, "Exactly what kind of surprise is this?"

"One you'll have to unwrap to find out," Will puffed out a laugh. Before they could kiss again they heard the familiar ring of Alex's cell phone.

Alex groaned, "Whoever it is can suck it. I'm busy."

"Why don't you go answer that and I'll get your surprise ready?" Will grinned at Alex before kissing him one last time. "But don't take too long," Will pushed Alex away gently.

"With that kind of motivation," Alex whistled, "I'm gonna make this as quick as possible."

Alex rushed down the stairs and managed to pick up his phone just in time, "Hello?"

"Um, Alex, hi," Sonny said into the phone.

Alex tensed briefly and closed his eyes, "…Hi."

"Hi," Sonny repeated. "I just, um, I saw the date and I just wanted to say happy birthday."

"Thanks," Alex replied in a tight voice. He didn't know what else to say to Sonny not after the way they left things the month before in Las Vegas.

"I, um, I hope that you had a good day," Sonny pressed his lips together, "I remember a lot of my best memories were your birthdays. Those were the days we all got along."

"I had a lot of visitors," Alex admitted.

"That explains where everyone went," Sonny chuckled a bit. "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah," Alex nodded. "Well for the most part. There was one part where the kid got upset and we had to-" Alex started trailing off when he realized who he was talking to.

"You can tell me," Sonny whispered, "I think it's probably good for me to hear about it."

"OK," Alex wasn't sure that was entirely true but he wasn't going to coddle his brother either. "The kid threw a fit because she made all these plans for the day and everyone kept showing up and ruining them. Actually it was kind of funny since she told everyone to shove it."

"But Will's good at calming her down," Alex shrugged at the end. "So he got her normal again after we talked to her and everything was fine."

Sonny closed his eyes and winced. He didn't realize how painful it was to hear about. Thinking about it and having to use his imagination was one thing but to hear the hard details was almost worse. '_It wasn't that long ago that was my life. I was the one who would help Ari calm down. I was the one who would be with Will. But not anymore,_' Sonny reminded himself.

"I'm glad it worked out for you," Sonny admitted as painful as it was.

"What about you?" Alex asked even though he didn't particularly want to.

"What about me?" Sonny repeated trying to force himself to concentrate.

"Are you alive or whatever?" Alex forced out not entirely sure how to sound like he cared about Sonny.

Sonny chuckled, "It's good to know you're still the same no matter what." Sonny took a deep breath and exhaled loudly, "I'm OK. I, um, I'm thinking about going on a trip, backpacking like I used to do before."

"Right," Alex sat down on the couch and pressed his lips together. "Alone?" he questioned.

"Yeah," Sonny nodded and closed his eyes. "I think the only way I'm going to figure out what's going on inside my head is if I spend some time alone."

"Good," Alex decided. Slightly curious he asked, "What about that Paul guy?"

Sonny sighed loudly, "He's not really happy with me at the moment but he gets it I think."

"Is he gonna be there when you get back?" Alex frowned a bit annoyed that he actually cared.

"He said he was," Sonny admitted. "That he'd wait for me to figure out what I needed to figure out."

"Huh," Alex said.

"Yeah," Sonny whispered again.

After a few silent moments Alex cleared his throat, "I'm gonna hang up the phone now."

"Right," Sonny replied, "Happy birthday again."

"Thanks," Alex deliberated before saying, "Don't get kidnapped on your trip."

"I won't," Sonny smiled slightly. "Bye."

"Bye," Alex hung up and tossed his phone to the side. He ran his hands through his hair and took a moment to focus.

'_Ugh, I have no idea what to do with a family that actually seems to care about me_,' Alex shook his head before standing up and heading to the bedroom.

When he walked into their room Alex was a bit confused when he didn't see anything different. Spotting Will sitting near the bed Alex realized he looked exactly the same too.

"Where's my surprise?" Alex narrowed his eyes momentarily forgetting his conversation.

"I didn't say it was a sexy surprise," Will laughed, "You thought that yourself."

"What a letdown," Alex complained. "I feel cheated," Alex grumbled as he let Will pull him to the edge of the bed.

"Who were you talking to?" Will asked as he laced their hands together.

"Uh," Alex said blankly. "My brother," he finally decided on.

"OK," Will didn't realize right away which brother Alex was talking about, "Didn't we just see-oh."

"Yeah," Alex nodded. "Oh."

Will put his head on Alex's shoulder, "Did he call for your birthday?"

"That's what he said," Alex wrapped his free arm around Will. "He said that he was going to go on a trip by himself and think," Alex informed Will.

"Probably a good idea," Will nodded against Alex. "He always liked that kind of stuff," Will remembered distinctly thinking that he and Ari were going to be holding Sonny back from doing those things.

"Yep," Alex replied.

"Today was interesting," Will said when he realized Alex was done talking about Sonny.

"It was something all right," Alex commented lightly.

"You liked everyone showing that they care about you," Will smiled. "You liked that they all showed up for your birthday and spent the day trying to get along."

"Yeah I guess," Alex wasn't admitting to much else. "It was weird though," Alex said lowly.

"Because everyone was here?" Will pulled away from Alex to try to read his expression.

Alex nodded, "Yeah. No one's been that attentive, I guess, since I was younger. It was odd."

"I think they're all just realizing how much they've missed out on with you," Will smiled. "They want to be a part of your life now."

"Well it's going to be tough for them," Alex finally replied, "I hear I'm difficult to get along with."

Will snorted, "You like to pretend you are but you are actually extremely easy to get along with."

"Oh really?" Alex held Will's gaze.

"Yep," Will grinned, "As soon as you realize that ninety percent of what you say is crap it's smooth sailing from there."

"Oh shut up," Alex ordered as he knocked Will onto his back on the bed.

Will laughed as Alex climbed over him. "Wait," Will put his hand on Alex's chest before he could press their lips together. "I have to give you your present first," Will wiggled out from under Alex's arms and headed towards their dresser.

"Seriously?" Alex groaned as he flopped onto his back. "I thought you gave me my present earlier," Alex said as he leaned on his elbow.

"That was Ari's present. I just helped her put it together," Will explained as he sat on the bed again. "Technically this is from me and Gabi."

Giving Will a quizzical look Alex wondered, "What exactly could the jail bird give me?"

Will smiled a bit nervously and handed over the large envelope to Alex. Rubbing his hands on his thighs Will explained, "I had the idea a while ago but it took a bit of time to legalize it."

Alex looked at Will in alarm as he started explaining.

"_And then I went on the tea cups again and again and again until I puked," Ari told her mommy happily. _

_Gabi shook her head, "Well I'm glad you had fun." _

"_Then when I felt better we went on It's a Small World three times to annoy Alex," Ari said proudly. _

_Gabi burst into laughter, "That I believe. Speaking of that though," Gabi looked around the computer screen, "Where is Alex?" _

"_I sent him out to get ice cream," Will explained as he popped into view. Usually he liked to give Ari and Gabi some time alone while they chatted but today he had something he really wanted to discuss with Gabi. _

"_Uh huh," Gabi looked at Will suspiciously. "Why?" _

"_To get him out of the house," Ari replied bluntly. _

"_Exactly," Will faced Ari, "Why don't you go get those pictures you took so you can show mommy?" _

"_OK," Ari giggled as she raced up the stairs and into her room. _

"_I guess that means you want to talk about something," Gabi smiled at Will. She hated being in jail and she hated being away from Ari but ultimately she knew she did what she had to. _'Besides seeing how happy she is now is worth it. As long as Will takes care of her that's all that matters_.' _

"_I do," Will licked his lips. "I was thinking the other day about our custody agreement." Seeing Gabi frown Will rushed to explain, "Nothing about you and me just about if something happened to either of us what would happen." _

"_Well we decided if something happened to us Ari would be with Sonny-oh," Gabi made a face. She still had a hard time reconciling that Sonny was no longer a part of Ari's life. Gabi had never seen Sonny as a saint but she thought they were friends. '_But I haven't even seen him in over a year and he abandoned Will and Ari_,' she reminded herself. _

"_Exactly," Will nodded. "So I was thinking we would need to discuss changing it. Obviously it would have to be someone we both trust and that Ari knows. At first I thought of my mom but I figured you might not like that." _

"_Not really," Gabi didn't hate Sami by any means. Gabi actually felt like she owed Sami a large amount of gratitude after how much she helped Ari and Will when they first moved to California. But she wasn't sure she trusted her to parent Ari. _'Grandma yes, mother hell no_.' _

"_So I had another thought," Will smiled weakly. "But I don't know if it's too soon or if you'd approve or even if he'd want to." _

"_You mean Alex," Gabi said quietly before leaning back in her chair to think. As soon as Ari met Alex Gabi did as well. She wasn't sure about him at first. He seemed a bit too smarmy for her tastes. _'But Will really liked him and I know Will wouldn't bring just anyone around Ari.'

_Over the past months Gabi noticed how close Ari had gotten with Alex. At first she was afraid of that. She didn't want her daughter getting attached to another guy that was just going to break Ari and Will's heart in the end. But now she knew differently. After Alex asked Will and Ari to move in with him he had formally asked Gabi as well. '_Well as formal as Alex gets_,' Gabi thought recalling the blunt way he half asked half told Gabi he was going to live with Will and Ari. _

"_I do," Will confirmed. "I think it's a good idea but I know we both have to agree to it. Plus I think we should ask Ari." _

"_You want her to pick who she lives with if something happens to you?" Gabi asked feeling concerned. _

"_God no," Will shook his head, "That would traumatize her even more. I have a question I want to ask her." _

_Almost on cue Ari jumped off the last stair with a large pile of photos in her hands. Without any prompting she held the pictures up to the screen and started rambling off explanations about them to her mommy. _

_As soon as the pictures were done Will took a lull in the conversation to ask Ari, "Baby girl, do you like living with Alex?" _

"_Yep," Ari nodded ardently. Almost realizing she was being too enthusiastic she amended, "I mean I guess. It's better than being with grandma because I get my own toy room and I get my daddy and my Alex all to myself." _

_Gabi chewed her bottom lip methodically. _

_The front door opened and Alex loudly announced, "I got your damn ice cream." _

"_Thanks," Will said as Alex tossed the plastic bags on the table near the laptop. _

_Alex pulled Will's head back and kissed him before nodding at the screen, "Shank anyone lately?" _

"_No," Gabi shook her head. She watched avidly as Ari turned around on Will's lap and immediately started talking to Alex. Watching the two interact Gabi felt her breath hitch a bit when she saw Alex grin when Ari turned back around. _

"_It's just about time for me to go," Gabi said sadly. She lived for these moments with Ari. She understood why Will thought it was best to move him and Ari away but that didn't mean she didn't miss her daughter more than anything. _

"_Bye Mommy," Ari waved at the screen with a bright smile. "I'll send you more pictures," she promised. _

_Alex nodded at her again before grabbing the bags of ice cream and heading off with Ari hot on his heels. _

"_Will," Gabi told her before their time was up, "I think you're right. It should be Alex." _

"_I'll find a lawyer to help draw up the agreement and see what we can do," Will smiled at Gabi. "I'll talk to you soon." _

"_Just keep taking care of Ari," Gabi ordered. "That's all I care about." _

"So," Will glanced up at Alex as he opened the envelope. "I hope it's OK."

Alex read over the legal documents quickly. He almost didn't even know what to think. He knew how big of a deal it must have been for both Will and Gabi to agree to this. '_Hell I didn't even think Gabi liked me that much,_' Alex thought.

He put the papers back in the envelope and finally looked back up at Will. He immediately noticed Will's blue eyes were wider than usual and looked a bit panicked.

"You can say no," Will told Alex. "If you hate the idea but I don't think you do. I think you love the idea."

Alex rolled the eyes, "Yeah fantastic present. Not only are you making me think about you dying you're also telling me I'll get stuck with the kid if that happens. Double punishment."

"Uh huh," Will grinned as he took the envelope from Alex and tossed it over the side of the bed. "I'm sure that's it."

"It is," Alex maintained. "Terribly disappointing I have to say."

"Sure," Will kissed gently across Alex's cheek to his ear. "You love her just as much as you love me."

"Sorry," Alex shook his head, trying not to shiver, "No proof of that."

"You called her yours earlier," Will informed him.

"I," Alex blinked a few times not even aware he had done so.

"You called her your kid," Will chuckled lowly as he nipped at his earlobe. "And she calls you her Alex."

"Stop talking," Alex rolled Will over onto his back.

Will laughed knowing Alex was getting a bit embarrassed. Will ran his hands over Alex's face to his neck, "Maybe I have another present for you."

"Oh really?" Alex appreciated Will changing the subject. "What kind of present?" he asked.

"I told you before," Will grabbed Alex's hands and put them on the button of Will's jeans. "You have to unwrap it to find out."

* * *

Author's note:

Tried to write smut. It didn't work out. Oh well.

Please review and let me know what you thought.

Thanks for reading!

PS: To the guest reviewer that said they thought I was going to put Sami and Justin together you should get a prize. I started writing this before Justin came back on the show full time. Originally I was going to have Justin be the one to reach out to Alex and find out about his relationship with Will first. Unfortunately I had to scrap what I had written when Justin came back and decided he hated Will on the show. But originally Sami and Justin were going to become friends and eventually end up together. Now Justin is with Kate in the story and Sami is enjoying being the only one not involved in any drama.


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey," Alex answered as he saw Will's name calling on his phone. Will didn't normally call him during the day unless it was important or they had plans. That was the only reason Alex was willing to answer during the middle of his photo shoot.

"Hi," Will said in a strange voice.

"What's wrong?" Alex immediately demanded turning his back on the model he was using today.

"Don't freak out or anything," Will started explaining. "I went with Brittany and some other people to lunch and when she was driving us back we were maybe in a little accident."

"How little?" Alex barked getting a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Well we're all fine for the most part," Will admitted. "Just some bumps and bruises."

"I don't give a shit if they're fine. I want to know about you. Did you go to the hospital or what?" Alex started packing all of his things up. '_No way am I getting this done now_.'

"No," Will shook his head. "It happened right outside work so I'm sitting in my office. I really don't think anything is wrong though."

"Yeah well I don't believe that," Alex told him. "You just stay there and I'm going to take you to get checked out."

"Alex-" Will complained before he was cut off.

"Shut up," Alex hissed as he slammed a few things into his bag loudly. "I'll be there soon."

After hanging up Alex faced the model again, "Get dressed. I can't do this now."

"Right," the model said as she reluctantly pulled her dress back on. "What's the matter?" she questioned as she watched Alex put all his equipment away.

Alex grunted in reply. _'I don't have time to chat_,' he thought as he put his camera back in its bag and zipped it closed.

Alex stood up and rolled his eyes when he noticed the model had moved too close for comfort and only buttoned half of her dress. Snorting Alex said, "There's no chance in hell of that happening so get that out of your head or I'll find someone else for this shoot."

Pouting a bit the girl took a step back, "Fine. You'll call me with a new time?"

"Yeah whatever," Alex shooed her away with his hand. Finding his keys he waited until she was out the door before grabbing whatever he needed and leaving.

* * *

Alex swore vehemently as he threw a wad of cash at the parking attendant. '_Fucking Los Angeles and their useless fucking parking._' He turned the corner Will's office was located on and felt his heart leap into his throat when he saw the wreckage from the accident still being cleaned up. Alex didn't know which car Will was in but neither looked too pretty. He broke into a run the last few yards.

Alex stormed into Will's office building, argued with the security guard that he was wasting his time, before getting into the elevator and impatiently waiting for it to take him to the 5th floor. He had a single-minded determination and he wasn't going to stop for anything. When the doors finally opened Alex blew past everyone in the hallways and ignored anyone calling out for his attention. Finally getting to Will's office Alex slammed the door open.

Without giving Will any time to react Alex walked behind his desk and yanked him into a hug. With Will pressed against him Alex finally felt like he could breathe again. Cupping Will's cheeks Alex pulled him back a bit and examined his face.

"Why do you look so pale?" Alex demanded as he looked over Will.

Will winced slightly as Alex pressed against his left side. "I-I don't know," Will replied a bit sluggishly.

"What happened?" Alex questioned as he pushed Will back to sit on the corner of his desk.

Will rested his forehead on Alex's shoulder, "Car ran the red light outside work and hit us."

"Why do you sound like that?" Alex reached behind him for a chair and sat down on it to face Will.

"Hmm?" Will hummed as he snapped his eyes closed then started blinking repeatedly.

"What side of the car were you on?" Alex grabbed his phone out of his pocket. He didn't care what Will thought he was taking him to the hospital.

"What?" Will was beginning to get a bit lightheaded.

"Car, where did it hit?" Alex repeated again as he pulled up Sami's number. '_Someone needs to pick up our kid soon.' _

"Uh," Will licked his lips slowly and hovered his hand over his left ribcage. "My stomach hurts."

Sending a text to Sami real quick Alex stood up, "OK we're going to the hospital and I'm going to have some words about paramedics checking over accident victims when we get there."

Will let out a sharp cry when he stood up and took a step. "Alex," Will put both hands over his stomach and hissed when he felt how swollen it was.

"Right," Alex dialed for an ambulance, "I'm also going to have some words with you about being an idiot."

Alex rattled off his information to the 911 dispatcher as he helped Will to sit down in one of the chairs. After hanging up Alex knelt down and carefully prodded at Will's stomach, "Did you get hit right here?"

Will nodded slowly as he tried to squirm away from Alex's fingers. He tried to cross his arms over his stomach as a means to keep Alex away but his left shoulder was also stinging.

"Why the hell didn't they take you to the hospital earlier?" Alex started yelling as he pulled up Will's shirt. He was gearing up to start arguing some more when he saw how distended Will's abdomen looked.

"Alex," Will whispered as he stared at his stomach listlessly. "What is that?"

"I-I don't know," Alex replied. Catching sight of Will's panicked features Alex shook his head, "I'm sure it's nothing. It's fine. You're fine. Everything is fine."

"I don't feel fine," Will commented as he started leaning towards one side unconsciously.

"Will," Alex put his hands on Will's knees and watched as his eyes closed and his head limply hung over the side of the chair.

"Will!" Alex shook him slightly not wanting to jostle him too much. "Where the fuck is that ambulance?"

* * *

Alex paced back and forth with his arms crossed in the hospital waiting room. He screamed his way onto the ambulance with Will but before he had a chance to follow after them when they got to the emergency room they took off.

'_Well I finally found an upside to getting married_,' Alex thought as he walked back and forth. '_They might actually give me some fucking answers._' Not that Alex or Will were interested in being married but it would have come in handy right about now. Since that wasn't an option Alex was just going to have to wait for Sami to get there for some information. '_Damn hospital won't be able to handle the both of us_.'

Hearing a loud commotion down the hall Alex poked his out the door. He wasn't even surprised to see Sami shouting down the receptionists at the help desk. Whistling loudly Alex got her attention and waved her over.

Glaring at the workers one last time Sami jogged over, "Alex, what the hell happened?"

"Ugh," Alex groaned, "He was in a car accident and he thought he was fine but he wasn't fine obviously and his stomach was all disgusting and-"

"Quit rambling," Sami smacked him harshly on the arm. "Where is he?"

"I don't know, woman," Alex argued. "They took him in the back ages ago and won't tell me anything."

"Why didn't you just bribe someone or threaten them?" Sami demanded as she put her hands on her hips.

"This isn't Salem," Alex rolled his eyes. "This is a real hospital with real policies. Besides I already tried."

"Fine," Sami tossed her hair over her head. "I'll get someone to talk one way or the other."

A few minutes later Sami came back into the waiting room dragging a haggard looking doctor with her. Smiling proudly Sami jabbed him with her fingernail, "Now talk!"

Lifting up a chart the man started explaining, "Will Horton, right?"

"Yes," Alex hissed clenching his fists tightly together.

"Mr. Horton ruptured his spleen. We're prepping him for surgery," the doctor said before trying to walk away.

Sami, reaching out to pull the man back, "You can't just say that and leave! We need details."

"Well from what we gather he must have sustained serious blunt trauma to the area," the man replied before once again trying to leave the room.

"And you're going to do what to my son?" Sami demanded.

"We need specifics," Alex growled standing as tall as he could and staring the doctor down.

"When you rupture your spleen it means the protective tissue surrounding it gets split open and starts gushing blood into your abdomen," the doctor clarified.

"His stomach was swollen because it had filled with blood. Because he was unresponsive when he arrived and his blood pressure was so low we did an ultrasound to confirm," the doctor explained quickly while still trying to be efficient. Looking at his watch he knew he needed to get going but quite frankly he was a little afraid of the two of them.

'_Plus I think I have bruises from that blonde woman's grip_,' the doctor unconsciously started rubbing his arm.

"What-," Sami started saying, "What happens next?"

"Since there's a lot of internal bleeding and because of his blood pressure we're going to perform a splenectomy. The entire organ is going to be removed using laparoscopic surgery. It's much less invasive. We'll make a few incisions right here," the doctor gestured to his abdomen, "And insert the laparoscope that has a light and camera attached to the end of it. We'll find his spleen, disconnect it, patch everything back up and remove it through one of the incisions," the doctor ended.

Seeing the pale and slightly shocked looks on their faces the man assured them, "We've performed this procedure several times and it's very routine. I know it sounds terrifying but all of the surgical team have great faith that it's going to be a success. Now I really need to get going. I'll have someone come back to update you as soon as we can."

Sami came to stand next to Alex as they both watched the doctor rush down the hallway. Sami glanced at Alex before grabbing his hand and forcing him to sit down.

"There's nothing we can do now but wait," Sami said to break the silence between them. Sighing Sami stood back up, "I better go make some calls."

* * *

"What is it, Sami? I'm on my way to a meeting?" Kate huffed into her phone as she got in an elevator with Justin and Paul.

"Will was in an accident and he has to have an emergency splenectomy," Sami rushed out as fast as she could.

"What?" Kate screamed into her phone frightening Justin and Paul.

"The doctor just said they were prepping him," Sami glanced over at where she left Alex. She could clearly see how freaked out he was over everything. "They said he should be fine and they aren't worried."

"Sami, what happened?" Kate questioned again as she put her hand on her forehead.

"He was coming back from lunch and the car he was in got hit and it ruptured his spleen," Sami explained. "Now Will is getting it removed and I'm freaked out and Alex is a mess and I don't even know about Will because he was passed out."

"OK," Kate took a few calming breaths, "OK, what do you want me to do?"

"Nothing," Sami decided. "I think everything should be alright. I'm not worried about the surgery it's just the whole cutting into my baby part that's terrifying."

As soon as the elevator door opened in front of her Kate walked out and told Sami, "You call me the second you hear any news. The second you find out anything, Sami!"

"I will," Sami nodded. "I just knew you would want to know. I'll keep you informed."

"Thank you," Kate breathed before hanging up and bowing her head.

"What is it?" Justin knew it had to be something horrible. Kate was normally much better about keeping her emotions in check at work. '_But if she was talking to Sami it could only be about one of her grandkids. Oh god, or great grandkid._'

"Is this about Ari?" Justin asked in a panic.

"No," Kate weakly shook her head. "It's Will," Kate whispered.

Paul, who had been awkwardly standing to the side of them, actively began paying attention when he heard the familiar names.

"What happened?" Justin put his hands on Kate's elbows.

"There was some kind of accident," Kate tried to remember everything Sami said. "Sami said his spleen ruptured and he has to have emergency surgery to remove it."

"Oh my god," Justin let go out of Kate and put his hand over his mouth. '_Oh, Will_,' Justin thought.

Kate, noticing the expression on Justin's face, reached out for his hand, "Sami said Alex was a mess but he wasn't involved."

"What?" Justin asked before shaking his head. _'I wasn't even thinking about Alex. I was worried about Will,_' Justin shocked himself. _'I actually cared about Will_.'

"Sami said she would call when she had more news," Kate added before running her hands through her hair. "I hope he's going to be alright."

Justin pulled Kate into a hug. Normally they were much more reserved while at work but right now Justin didn't care at all. He wanted to call Alex and check on him but he also knew Alex was probably in a foul mood. Justin would give it a little bit of time before he reached out.

Paul looked away from the two feeling uncomfortable. He didn't like hearing about Will getting hurt or having to have surgery. He knew the two of them didn't exactly have the greatest history together but they had settled a few things when they talked in Las Vegas. As much as Paul wished he could blame his current problems with Sonny on Will he knew that wouldn't be fair.

Paul didn't think he would ever be friends with Will the way they once were when he first came to town. '_But I don't want anything happening to him. Will actually had his life together and was happy. He doesn't deserve this_.'

Glancing back over at Justin and Kate Paul shook his head. '_Will is going to be fine. He wouldn't want everyone making a fuss over him anyway.'_ Clearing his throat Paul asked, "Do you two need some time to collect yourselves? I can start the meeting by myself."

Wiping her eyes and stepping away from Justin Kate laughed, "Like I would trust you with that."

Paul rolled his eyes. _'At least some things never change_.'

* * *

Sami bit her nail and deliberated before sighing and giving in. She pulled up Lucas' contact information and tapped her foot on the tile while she waited for him to answer.

Getting annoyed when she heard his voicemail Sami was tempted not to leave a message. '_No_,' Sami thought. _'Just be polite and leave a message. He's Will's father and he's giving a half-assed attempt at trying.' _

After hearing the beep Sami spoke into her phone, "Lucas, Will was in a car accident and he's having an emergency procedure. Call me as soon as you get this."

'_OK, call the babysitter and check on the kids and tell her I'm going to be a little bit later than expected,_' Sami thought, '_Then make sure Alex isn't going to lose it_.'

* * *

"The kids are all fine," Sami said as she came back into the waiting room. She frowned when she saw Alex still staring off into space in the same way she left him.

"Ari wants to know when you're coming to get her," Sami sat down next to Alex and patted his arm. When he still didn't respond she slapped his arm, hard, and smiled slightly when he turned to glare at her. '_There he is,_' she thought.

"What was that for?" Alex grumbled.

Sami gave him a blank look before saying, "What are we going to tell Ari and everyone else?"

The annoyance on Alex's face washed away. He hadn't even thought about Ari since he sent Sami that text hours ago. "Fuck," Alex put his head in his hands. "I have no clue. I-I don't know what I'm supposed to do about this stuff."

"Well," Sami sighed. "Knowing Ari we shouldn't tell her Will is hurt because she would just freak out. But if we don't tell her the truth she'll freak out. She'll definitely notice if he doesn't come home tonight. Only my son would have a child this complicated."

Alex rubbed his forehead, "We just won't tell her tonight. When Will is up and OK then we'll tell her he had an accident but he's fine."

"OK, that's good," Sami agreed. "Maybe we'll call her doctor and see if they have any recommendations on how to tell her."

"Right," Alex nodded. Ever since the paramedics lowered Will out of the ambulance and whisked him off Alex had this tight coiling sensation in his stomach and throat_. 'I am not cut out for emergency situations_,' he decided.

"She can stay with me tonight and tomorrow after school we'll figure everything out," Sami repeated more to herself than to Alex.

When she got the text from Alex that Will was going to be checked out after an accident she was worried. Later on when Alex called her she was downright hysterical. Alex never calls anyone unless he's forced into it. She knew as soon as she saw his name on her caller ID something bad had to of happened. '_And I was right_,' Sami thought.

It took all of her concentration and focus to call the babysitter and not completely lose it in front of the kids, '_Especially Ari_.'

Now that Sami was in the hospital waiting room she was reminded of all of the time she spent at the hospital in Salem. She didn't realize exactly how much time that was until she was here for the first time. However she simply refused to think about the last time she was at the hospital for EJ.

Taking a deep breath and grabbing Alex's hand Sami said, "This isn't the first time I've had to wait around for Will to get out of surgery."

"You mean when he was shot," Alex guessed. He had heard all about that story. About Will trying to help his cousin while Sonny assisted Gabi in giving birth. '_Only my idiot boyfriend would take a bullet for someone that hated him_,' Alex rolled his eyes just thinking about it.

"There was that time which was horrifying," Sami admitted, "And the time Lucas drove them into a tree and cracked Will's head open."

"What?" Alex turned to face Sami.

"Will was pretty young, younger than Ari," Sami recalled. "I was getting married and the groom died and I thought I killed him but-" Sami cut herself off, "That's not the important part. Lucas was drunk and kidnapped Will and got into a wreck."

"I just remember sitting in my wedding dress in the hospital when I heard Lucas screaming for help," Sami shook her head. "And we saw them wheel Will past us and I was ready to kill Lucas. He passed out before I had the chance though."

"Nothing like being told your toddler is going to die unless you sign a form giving them permission to operate on his brain," Sami closed her eyes.

Alex stared at Sami for a few moments. "What the hell is wrong with your family?"

"Apparently everything," Sami chuckled even though she didn't really find it funny. "Pretty much all of my children had horrible and traumatic childhoods. The lack of Salem helps now though. At least this was an actual accident and not because of anything else."

Sami continued talking, "I think everyone was at the hospital that day." Sami wrinkled her face, "Oh gross Nicole was in my wedding party."

"Can you focus, please?" Alex asked in annoyance.

"Sorry," Sami squeezed Alex's hand. "The point is eventually Will was fine. If he can survive brain surgery he can survive this."

"What the hell is a spleen anyway?" Alex wondered. He wasn't exactly a brainiac in school. He knew the important organs and how to use them but beyond that he was at a loss.

"I don't know," Sami admitted before pulling over phone out and looking it up. "Alright," she started reading, "The spleen is about the size of your fist right underneath your left rib cage. It helps fight infections and filter out blood cells."

"That sounds serious," Alex stated as he ripped Sami's phone out of her hand. He tapped on a link explaining the surgery in more depth. He got to the part blowing carbon dioxide through the incision to move the other organs out of the way before Alex felt like he was going to be sick.

"I'm sure Will is going to be fine," Sami tried to reassure them both. "It didn't sound like you need a spleen. The doctor would have told us if you did."

"You also almost made him cry," Alex pointed out. "I'm sure he would have been terrified to tell us anything bad."

"The doctors in this hospital need to get stronger backbones," Sami pointed out. Getting back on track she asked, "What is his life going to be like without a spleen?"

"Hard to fight infections obviously," Alex rolled his eyes before opening a new link. "He's gonna need a lot of immunizations and to make sure not to get sick."

"Oh," Sami thought about it, "Well he hardly ever gets sick anyway so it could work." When Alex didn't say anything Sami looked over and ripped the phone out of his hands. Seeing that he was reading about complications Sami complained, "Stop that. He's going to be fine."

Alex didn't say a word. He crossed his arms and tried not to think about anything. He really didn't want to think about anyone slicing Will's skin open and shoving instruments inside of him or moving his organs around. He didn't want to think about the last time Will said his name before he fainted or the grotesque way his stomach felt, '_Because it was filled with blood_.'

'_No stop thinking_,' Alex shook his head. '_Talk about anything else_.'

"I think the model I'm using wants me to fuck her," Alex said out loud to distract himself.

Sami side-eyed Alex so hard. "Oh really?" she replied suspiciously.

Alex shrugged, "Yeah. Obviously not the first time that's happened but what an idiot. She's hot but why the hell would I sleep with her when I go home to Will every night? It's like going from steak to hamburger. Every now and again you want it but it's not the same. I don't even eat that many hamburgers actually. Whenever Ari wants to go to McDonald's I always get chicken."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sami finally asked. "Are you saying you want to sleep with someone else?"

"No," Alex knocked his head backwards and stared at the ceiling. "I'm just saying she's hot but not as hot as Will. Why would I want to sleep with someone else?"

"Why are we having this conversation?" Sami wondered.

"I don't know," Alex decided. "I'm just talking."

"Have you ever slept with a model?" Sami questioned as she realized Alex was nervous. '_He's kind of cute when he's babbling like an idiot.' _

"Just Will," Alex admitted. Sensing Sami's doubts Alex sighed, "It's true. I happen to be very professional about these things."

"Well why haven't you?" Sami shrugged. "Before Will I mean. I've seen how some of your models look. What stopped you?"

"I don't know," Alex said, "It's not like I take pictures as a means to get laid. I just think it's an interesting medium and I like it."

"I've fucked several other artists and photographers and stuff," Alex divulged, "But I don't know. That kind of stuff isn't as exciting anymore."

"Because of Will?" Sami smiled slightly. '_Once you got past the blunt exterior the things Alex says are pretty sweet.' _

"Yeah," Alex hated getting mushy with anyone but Will but he knew Sami got it, got him. Alex enjoyed having a somewhat maternal figure around him that didn't judge him or act like he didn't matter. Inwardly laughing Alex thought, '_Adrienne would probably kill herself if she found out Sami was a better mother to me than she ever was._'

"I always thought that relationships were boring," Alex told Sami. "That there was a reason monotonous and monogamy sound alike. But with Will it's different. He surprises me and we have fun. And I've fucked him thousands of times and it's still as hot as the first time. That's got to mean something, right?"

"Disregarding the fact that you're talking about sleeping with my son," Sami shook her head, "I'd say yes it's important that you're both still interested. That's kind of the whole point you know. Being with someone that you don't get bored with and finding ways to keep things new and exciting. "

"The other day he was too tired and we didn't have sex and I was only mildly disappointed," Alex confessed in a slightly strangled tone. "I held him until he fell asleep and even though he made my arm go numb I didn't move him because I liked having him close."

'_Only Alex would tell me something that nice and make it sound like a deep, terrible secret_,' Sami thought.

"If I've told you once I've told you a thousand times," Sami said quietly. "It's perfectly fine for you to show people affection. The world won't explode."

Alex startled when he heard his phone ringing. Seeing his father's name across the screen he answered quickly. "Hey," Alex said.

"Alex," Justin replied as he stepped outside of the conference room. They were on a short break. "Have you heard anything about Will?"

Alex sighed, "No not yet."

"What happened? Are you alright?" Justin needed to know.

"He was in a car accident and he thought he was fine when he clearly wasn't. I was talking to him and then he passed out and the doctor said there was a lot of internal bleeding," Alex explained.

Justin frowned. He knew how hard this had to be on Alex. For as calm and collected as he tried to be Alex was never good in an emergency. Even when Alex broke his wrist, despite holding in the tears, he was a talkative, nervous wreck the entire time.

"I'm sure the surgeons will take care of everything," Justin told Alex. "And if they don't I'll look into a malpractice lawsuit for you."

"Thanks," Alex chuckled. After taking a moment to think Alex asked, "Wait, are you actually worried about Will?"

"Yes," Justin rolled his eyes. "I'm worried about Will. It's not the end of the world you know."

"Thanks," Alex replied after a beat of silence.

"Do you want me to tell Joey and Vic?" Justin questioned. "They should both be around the building somewhere."

"No," Alex decided. "You can tell them after. I don't want them freaking out or anything. You know how they panic."

"Alright," Justin agreed. Looking back at the conference room door Justin knew he needed to go. "I have to get back now," Justin told Alex. "But you call me if you need anything, anything at all."

"I will," Alex said before hanging up. Alex mechanically shoved his phone in his pocket and stared off into space again.

Sami and Alex sat quietly for a few moments before Alex asked in a quiet voice, "You really think he'll be alright?"

Sami put her arm around Alex and, despite his protests, forced him to put his head on her shoulder, "I do. He's going to be perfectly alright and you and Ari will nurse him back to health. After a few weeks things will be back to normal."

"I hope you're right," Alex stated. He closed his eyes and exhaled loudly. "This whole mothering thing is kind of nice," Alex confessed quietly.

"You're just a big softy aren't you?" Sami cooed already knowing that Alex was rolling his eyes. Remembering all the times she had spied on Will and Alex when Will was still living with her Sami cautiously started running her fingers through his hair.

When Sami began petting at his hair Alex smiled slightly. It was very different from how Will would but it still gave Alex a sense of calm.

"Did Adrienne ever do things like this for you?" Sami wondered when she felt Alex relax against her.

Alex shook his head, "No. I'd get hugs and things like that but nothing like this."

"Well," Sami took a deep breath, "I was never mother of the year, you know. I complained about Lucas kidnapping Will but I've done that myself as well. I've jerked Will around and let him be schlepped from home to home and father to father all his life. I've been to jail several times. Lucas has been to jail. He thought his grandparents were dead a few times. He's never seen a relationship last or a couple not completely destroy themselves before it was over. It's kind of a wonder he's not a sociopath."

"But," Sami continued, "Throughout all of that I've always loved him. And as much as it pains me to admit," Sami's face pinched together, "I'm sure Adrienne loves you too."

"That's what she says," Alex mused.

"Well," Sami said, "Being a mom sucks sometimes. Being a mom to a kid that's a pain in the ass is hard. That's what Will was and at the time I really only cared that he was making my life difficult. It was a little hard to see that he was like that because I made him that way. But for all the stunts he pulled and all the arguments we had I still loved him more than anything. Even after he wrote that article and I slapped him as hard as I could I still loved him."

"Moms are people too and I'm not making excuses for either myself or Adrienne," Sami added, "I'm just saying that maybe, just maybe, she really isn't all that bad. Of course I hate her but that's for an entirely different reason. Well, OK, fine, I'll admit that I hate her a little bit more because she screwed you over but still."

"Is there a point to this?" Alex finally asked.

"Yes," Sami stopped her petting to flick his ear, "The point is maybe you should give her a chance. I am the queen of holding grudges but sometimes you hold on too long and then it's too late."

"Meh," Alex replied. "I don't want to think about anything but Will right now."

"That's kind of adorable," Sami sighed. "I'm glad you're with Will and Ari."

"Of course you are," Alex snorted, "I'm an ideal son-in-law."

"You keep things interesting," Sami retorted. "Plus you're good for the two of them and they're good for you too."

"Sure I am," Alex reluctantly reached up and put Sami's hand back on his hair to resume stroking it.

'_I am so telling Will he was right. Alex does turn into a puddle of goo when you touch his hair_,' Sami chuckled slightly.

Alex pressed his lips together and took a moment to make a decision before asking, "What if Will isn't OK?"

"What do you mean?" Sami questioned as she felt Alex tense up.

"If-if something goes wrong. What would I even do?" Alex wondered in a soft tone.

"Well," Sami really didn't want to think about that possibility, "It would be awful but eventually we would pull ourselves together and try to make everything alright for Ari's sake."

"Right," Alex had almost forgotten that Will and Gabi had made him Ari's guardian. _'Jesus Christ I would have no idea what to do if I didn't have Will. When I said I'd do it I didn't think the possibility would ever happen.' _

Alex pulled away from Sami and crossed his arms over his chest. Will was such an important part of his life he couldn't even imagine what he would do without him. He wouldn't know what to do. However, Alex knew he would never want to lose Ari either. As much as he liked to pretend he didn't care he did. '_But I wouldn't know how to do it without Will_.'

"Hey," Sami gave him a small smile. "You don't need to worry. Nothing is going to happen and even if it did you know I'd help you out."

"Ari would be just as much of a mess as I would be," Alex told her. "Neither of us would be able to do it, to make it."

"Yes you would," Sami tried to convince Alex. "You like to pretend that you don't know what you're doing but I see the way you and Ari interact. It would probably be the hardest thing you've ever done but you would snap out of it and do whatever you would have to do for her. Alright, that's what parents do."

"I'm not a parent," Alex mumbled.

"Oh shut up," Sami rolled her eyes. "We both know that's not true. Who went with her on that field trip to the zoo?"

"Me," Alex reluctantly admitted.

"Who secretly watches hair styling videos on YouTube and thinks no one knows?" Sami looked at Alex knowingly and smiled when his face went slightly red.

"I admit to nothing," Alex grumbled.

"And last week when Ari ordered the baked ziti at dinner who ordered the spaghetti because he knew she wouldn't like the ziti and would want to switch?" Sami tried not to laugh at Alex's mouth gaping open trying to find a defense.

"Fine, me," Alex shot Sami a mutinous look. "That doesn't mean I would know what to do with her for big things. When we were at the zoo the fucking lion roared and she screamed and it took me twenty minutes to get her to calm down. Every time I try to do her hair I just make it snarled. I know what she eats but that sure as hell doesn't mean I know how to make them."

"Do you think anyone knows how to be a parent before it actually happens?" Sami gave him a blank look. "Do you want me to tell you more ways I screwed up with Will or should I move on to my other kids? The list is endless basically."

"I sincerely doubt at any point in our lives would I find myself in any of the situations you did," Alex complained. "It's not the same. And without Will it wouldn't be the same and I wouldn't be able to do it so I'm not going to."

Sami narrowed her eyes and was tempted to reach out and smack his arm again when she heard some excited chattering near the entrance to the waiting room. '_Oh my god no_,' she thought as she saw her babysitter and all four kids coming inside.

Standing up quickly Sami, not wanting to alarm any of the kids, hurried over to the babysitter and grabbed her elbow in a vice-like grip. Gritting through her teeth Sami demanded, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry," the girl said in a slightly panicked voice. "I have an emergency and I couldn't bring them."

"You have an emergency?" Sami hissed. "I am in the hospital waiting on my son and you brought four kids with you?"

"I know," the girl pulled her arm away from Sami. "But I have to go. I'm sorry."

Watching the girl running away Sami spat out, "I am so not paying you for tonight."

Ari, looking away from the kindle she was sharing with Sydney, skipped over to Alex. Beaming widely Ari started rambling, "Today we colored leaves and mine were the best leaves because I'm the best. And tomorrow we're going to glue them on to trees and I know my tree is going to be the best tree. And when I get to take it home we're putting it on the wall. Where's Daddy?"

Alex blinked slowly and swallowed before asking, "What color did you use on the leaves?"

"Orange and brown and purple because I like purple," Ari rushed to explain. "Why are we at the doctor and where's my daddy?"

"Did you eat dinner yet or should we go see what the cafeteria has?" Alex questioned as he poorly attempted to distract her.

"I don't want dinner," Ari put her hands on her hips, "I want my daddy. Where is he?"

"Well," Alex licked his lips nervously. Trying to recall all the things Will would do for Ari when she was upset Alex reached out and finagled her onto his lap.

"Uh," Alex, holding onto Ari's squirming body, "Daddy isn't here right now."

"Where is he?" Ari turned to faced Alex. "Why isn't he here?"

Sami corralled Johnny, Sydney and Allie into the chairs across from Alex and Ari. Handing over her phone when Johnny asked for it Sami went and sat down next to Alex. She wanted to let Alex handle the Ari situation but she wasn't going to leave them completely alone.

"W-well," Alex stuttered a bit unsure of what he should say. He knew she was going to freak out regardless but he didn't want her to get hysterical. Taking a deep breath Alex rushed out, "Daddy is a little sick right now and when he's better we're going to go see him."

"Sick?" Ari repeated. "How sick?"

"Just, um, a little bit," Alex tried to give her a reassuring smile but he was pretty sure it just looked terrifying.

"Why can't I see him? He sees me when I'm sick," Ari glanced at Alex and her grandma suspiciously. "He spends all day with me when I don't feel good."

"We can't see him until the doctor tells us we can," Alex told her weakly. '_This is why Will is the parent and I'm the boyfriend.' _

"Mom," Johnny yelled out as he began reading over the website his mother had left open on her phone. "Is this why Will's here?"

Sami, frowning when Johnny showed off the various pictures from the website to his sisters, stood up and tried to grab the phone from him.

"Mommy," Sydney gasped as she saw the photos. "Is that why we're here? Is that what they're doing to Will?"

"Ew," Allie stared at the phone in horror, "Are they really slicing Will open to get that out?"

"What?" Ari questioned as her blue eyes got bigger and bigger and tears started falling off her face.

"Uh," Alex put his hand over Ari's face in an attempt to not see anything when Johnny flashed the phone in her direction.

"Give me the phone," Sami ordered as she stuck out her hand. When Johnny didn't follow her directions she reached out snatched it from his hand.

"Mom," Johnny shivered slightly. "Where's Will?"

"He had an accident and the doctors are trying to fix him now," Sami attempted to explain in a calm voice. "There's nothing to worry about. He's going to be fine."

"With surgery?" Allie wondered as she glanced at her brother's face and his fake eye.

"Yes," Sami admitted reluctantly. She put her arm around Sydney when she burst into tears. "It's OK, sweetie. Will is going to be just fine."

"Will's gonna die like daddy did," Sydney keened.

Sami winced when she heard Ari screaming after overhearing Sydney. "No, not that isn't going to happen," Sami promised. She was at a loss as to what to do. Usually when she got this overwhelmed Will was there to help her.

Johnny shook his head before grabbing Sydney's hand and pulling her into a hug. "Will's not going to die. He's Will. He's always going to be around."

Allie leaned her head on Johnny's shoulder as she cried silently too.

Sami smiled at Johnny proudly. Ever since EJ passed away Johnny had become quite protective of everyone. Lately, with Alex's influence, Johnny had been acting so much like EJ Sami didn't know what to do. But as someone that loved EJ because of his faults Sami knew Johnny turning into his father might not be such a horrible thing.

Seeing that Alex was having a difficult time getting Ari to calm down Sami knew the two needed privacy. _'Ari always does better without a crowd_.'

"Come on," Sami suggested to her children. "We'll go get something for dinner and bring it back."

Before they walked out of the waiting room Johnny walked over to Ari and told her, over her loud wails, "It's going to be OK, Ari. I promise."

"What were they talking about?" Ari demanded with a shriek once everyone left. "What's happening to him?"

"Well," Alex had no idea what to do now. There was really no way to explain this in any way that would not make her freak out even more.

"I want to see him right now," Ari screamed as she tried to get off of Alex's lap. When he tightened his grip Ari shouted, "No, let me go. I want to see him."

"We can't see him right now," Alex tried to explain. "The doctors are working with him and they're going to make him better."

"I don't care," Ari struggled against him. "I want to see him, now! He said I would always get to see him. That he was never going to go away. I want him!"

"I know you do," Alex said in a raised voice. "I know you do. But we have to wait and then you can see him."

"Why isn't he coming back?" Ari cried as she slumped against Alex. "He always comes back. Why isn't he back?"

"It's not his fault," Alex put his hand on the back of Ari's head and encouraged her to lie on his shoulder, "Daddy had an accident but he's going to get fixed."

"Please make him come back," Ari cried. "I want him to come back. I want him, now."

"I want him too," Alex admitted, "But we have to wait because the doctor is going to make him all better. Then we'll see him and everything will be back to normal."

"He promised he wasn't going to leave me," Ari cried as she clung to Alex's neck.

"And he's not going to leave you," Alex promised. "He's going to be perfectly fine and then we can yell at him for scaring us."

"Allie said he was being cut open," Ari remembered, "I don't want him to be hurt. I don't want anyone to cut him."

"It's OK," Alex sighed. "Daddy got hurt right here," Alex put his hand near Ari's ribs. "Something inside of him started bleeding and the doctors are going to take it out. Then when they're all done he's going to be the same as usual."

Ari sniffled a few times as she rubbed her nose against Alex's neck. She still didn't like the idea of her daddy being hurt or bleeding or someone taking anything out of him but she wanted to listen to Alex.

"And I'm not going anywhere," Alex said in a firm voice.

Ari tightened her arms around his neck but didn't say anything.

"Do you remember when we went to San Diego and we were walking around and daddy walked into a cactus?" Alex asked Ari trying to distract her.

Ari nodded.

"And we made fun of him and he didn't complain but he had that spike stuck in his arm?" Alex reminded her. "And we both stopped being mean and you started crying because you were afraid he was going to be hurt forever."

"That's kind of like this," Alex desperately hoped she understood what he was trying to say; "Instead of pulling out the cactus the doctors are pulling out the part of him that got injured."

"Oh," Ari replied. "Is it going to hurt?"

"I don't know," Alex truthfully responded. "Maybe a little bit."

"Then he'll come back?" Ari pulled away to look at Alex.

"Yes," Alex nodded and gave her a tiny smile. "Like he would be able to leave us alone. We're fantastic."

"I'm fantastic," Ari said seriously. "You're just his eye candy."

Alex snorted loudly, "Where did you hear that?"

"TV," Ari shrugged. Without saying anything Ari grabbed Alex's sleeve and used it to wipe her eyes and nose.

"Ugh," Alex complained. "I'm not a napkin."

Ari giggled wetly, "You're my napkin." Seeing the disgusted look on his face Ari told Alex, "That will be your new name."

"You are not calling me napkin," Alex rolled his eyes.

"I am," Ari promised.

"I liked Al better. Let's stick with that," Alex suggested.

"Nope," Ari shook her head. "I like napkin."

A few minutes later Sami and the kids came back into the waiting room with their arms loaded with food. Sami smiled slightly at Ari and Alex bickering about a napkin. _'I don't know what that's all about but at least they're both smiling.' _

As Sami handed over the food she brought for them she quirked an eyebrow when Ari refused to let go of Alex and was attempting to eat her food while clinging to him at the same time.

"Well," Sami said not wanting to draw attention to Ari's freak out, "That's certainly a different sight than when you two first met."

Alex reached up and rubbed against his eye, "That's for damn sure."

"_Hi," Will smiled nervously as he answered the door. "Um I sent my mom and my brother and sisters to the movies so it's just you, me and Ari." _

"_Right," Alex nodded. He didn't want to appear anxious but he knew this was a big moment. He was really hoping this went well. He wasn't willing to give up on Will anytime soon. _

"_So, do you want to come meet her?" Will asked hopefully. _

"_That's kind of why I'm here, yeah," Alex pointed out. "But wait," he reached out and grabbed Will's elbow. "One thing first," Alex stated before kissing Will gently on the lips. _

"_OK," Alex let go and stepped inside the house, "Lead the way." _

_Will, cheeks bright red, took Alex's hand before guiding him into the front room to introduce Ari. '_OK, this is going to be fine. They'll both behave and we can make it work. I can make this work.'

"_Ari," Will called as he saw her sitting on the floor and playing with Johnny's Legos he left out. "Um, there's someone I want you to meet." _

_Ari turned around with a slight smile on her face before it melted away. Giving the man holding her daddy's hand a glare Ari asked, "Who is that?" _

_Will let go of Alex's hand and moved to the couch near where Ari was sitting. "This is Alex," Will told her. "He's my friend. And I wanted you two to meet." _

_Alex gave Will a look, '_Is that what we're calling it?_' Will elbowed Alex in the side when he sat down next to Will. "Oh," Alex cleared his throat, "Hi." _

_Ari dropped the Legos she was holding and hurried to the couch. She crawled onto Will's lap and stared at Alex. "I don't like you," she decided after a few moments. _

"_Ari," Will scolded. "That's not something you tell people." _

"_Why?" Ari turned to look at her daddy. "You said I have to tell the truth." _

"_I also said you don't say things that are mean," Will reminded her. "You don't even know Alex so how can you tell if you like him or not?" _

"_I just do," Ari put her head on Will's chest and glowered at Alex. _

'What the fuck_?' Alex thought feeling extremely weirded out. He was glad to see the kid was actually cute. Actually he was a little overwhelmed by how much she looked like Will. '_But why the hell is she looking at me like that?'

_Will had given Alex a pretty detailed description of how messed up his daughter was over everything that had happened with Will. Alex got it. He knew personally how familial problems could screw a kid up. Will had prepared him that the kid would be standoffish towards him. '_I just have to prove to Will that he's worth having to deal with a kid.'

_Will gave Alex a weak smile. '_Please don't hate each other, please_.' He already knew if Ari couldn't get along with Alex that he would have to break things off with him but he really, really didn't want to do that. Will loved spending time with Alex in a way he didn't think he would find ever again. _

'But Ari is more important than that. I knew this was going to be hard so I just need to let everything develop. Maybe they'll learn to love each other_.' _

"_How about we watch a movie?" Will suggested to Ari. "I'll even let you pick it out." _

"_Princess," Ari replied. _

"_OK," Will nodded as he stood up and went to put the DVD in for them. He frowned when Ari wrapped her arms around his neck and hung onto him as he walked off. _'OK then_,' Will thought, '_She must be taking this harder than I thought.'

_The three of them watched Ari's favorite princess movie as they sat on the couch. Will and Alex shared a few secret smiles throughout the movie. Alex wasn't one for fairy tales or princesses but sitting here with Will wasn't so bad. Alex enjoyed looking over and seeing Will smiling bashfully at him. Even the kid and her glares weren't so bad after a while. _

_Will, adjusting Ari so she was sitting on his other leg, scooted a bit closer to Alex. He smiled at Alex again and whispered to him softly while Ari was singing along, "Hi." _

"_Hi," Alex replied in a teasing tone. _

"_Thanks for doing this," Will told him. "I know it's not really what you were expecting." _

"_I don't even know what I was expecting," Alex honestly told him. He looked back at the screen in time to see the prince and princess sharing their first kiss. _

_Without thinking about it Alex leaned over and kissed Will. He was so used to doing that whenever he wanted that he didn't think anything of it. _

_Ari was beginning to relax a little bit the longer the movie went on. She didn't know why her daddy needed to have a friend when he had her though. '_Especially a stupid one_,' she thought. She didn't like how this Alex person kept whispering to her daddy or giving him a smile. She particularly didn't like when her daddy smiled back. _

'He's supposed to smile at me_,' Ari thought. '_I make him smile and no one else. He only needs me._' _

_However, as she got lost in the movie she forgot to pay attention to what her daddy was doing and saying. So when she heard a weird, wet sound and turned her head Ari froze when she saw Alex and her daddy kissing. _

_Ari knew that she had seen her daddy be kissed before. She might have had a hard time remembering who it was or why but seeing it now made her angry. The last person that used to kiss her daddy left them. He went away and he didn't come back. He made her daddy sad and lonely and her daddy was only getting better now. Ari didn't want to think about anyone else doing the same. _

_Letting out a snarl Ari reached forward and scratched at Alex's face. Her tiny little nails clawed the side of his eye. _

"_Ahh," Alex shouted as he pulled away from Will. "Jesus," he put his hand near his eye and frowned when he felt a little bit of blood trickling down. The cut didn't hurt, it stung more than anything, but he was definitely unprepared for it. _

"_Oh my god," Will gasped as he stood up and tried to get a handle on Ari's wildly swinging arms. _

"_I hate him," Ari started screaming. It wasn't even Alex she was seeing before her but someone else. Someone with hair dark like his who she loved and trusted and left her. '_Left me and daddy and didn't care,_' Ari burst into tears and started pounding her small fists against Will's chest. _

_Will wanted to check on Alex but Ari was more important. Will put his hands over Ari's fists and pulled her into a hug. "Hey," Will put his hand on the back of her head. "It's OK." _

_Ari hysterically cried and started pleading, "Don't." _

"_I've got you. I'm not going anywhere," Will promised her as she collapsed against him and wailed. Risking a glance over at Alex Will knew this was probably going to be it. _

_Alex didn't know what to say or what to do about this. He wasn't cut out for crying kids and temper tantrums. All he was interested in was Will. Alex was ready to stand up and walk away and leave Will and his crazy daughter behind when Will caught his gaze. _

'Fuck me_,' Alex thought as he looked at Will. '_There are millions of men in this stupid state why can't I get this one out of my head?'

_Will watched as Alex stood up and he closed his eyes. He didn't particularly want to watch someone else walk out of his life but he figured it was coming. _

_Alex stood up and wandered around the house until he found the kitchen. He rummaged through some cupboards until he found a glass and then from some drawers until he found a towel. He put some ice in the towel and water in the cup before going back to the front room. Alex slumped on the couch, putting his feet on the coffee table, and handed the water to Will. _

_Will opened his eyes again when he felt something being shoved against his hand. Taking the glass automatically Will didn't know what to think when Alex held a towel to his eye and shrugged at him. _

_Snapping out of it Will pulled Ari back a bit, "Here, drink this." _

_Ari, spilling some of the water down her chin, gulped until she was done before nuzzling back against Will's neck. _

_Will continued rubbing against Ari's back and murmuring encouragingly into her ear until he felt her breathing even out. Will lifted her up and laid her down on the love seat nearby to sleep. _

_Will sat back down on the couch and stared at Alex openly not knowing what he should say. _

"_Well," Alex finally broke the silence, "That's never happened to me before." Remembering something Alex amended, "No I take that back. It has only there were more girls involved and a lot of rolling around on the floor." _

_Alex took the ice away from his eye and turned to face Will, "That was a joke, mostly." _

"_I am so sorry," Will started telling Alex. "I didn't think that would happen." _

"_It's fine," Alex shrugged again. "Not the worst wound I've ever gotten. If we trained her up she could be a professional. She would have to keep the claws away but you know." _

"_Alex," Will shook his head. He reached towards Alex's eye, "I really didn't think that would happen. I knew she would be upset but I didn't think she'd hurt you." _

"_It's a cut," Alex rolled his eyes. "From a toddler. I think I will survive." _

"_I just really wanted today to go well," Will admitted as he moved to lean against Alex when he lifted his arm up. _

"_Well," Alex said, "She tried to take out my eye and cried hysterically because I kissed you but it could have gone worse." _

"_How?" Will demanded in a slightly panicked tone. _

"_I could have left," Alex told Will softly. "But I'm still here. God only knows why but I am." _

"_Now," Alex lifted Will up and looked over at the sleeping child on the couch. "I want my kiss," Alex smirked. _

"_But-" Will tried to say. _

"_Nope," Alex shushed Will, "Stop worrying your pretty little head. Talk later, kiss now." _

_Will laughed in disbelief before closing his eyes and falling into Alex's kiss. He knew that when Ari woke up they were going to have a serious talk about what happened and about Alex but for now, in this moment, Will didn't care. _

_Will and Alex were so distracted being wrapped up in their kiss neither of them noticed when the front door opened. _

"_Well, well, well," Sami said as she caught sight of her son being felt up on the couch. "I'm getting flashbacks," Sami greeted. _

"_Ew," Sydney and Allie giggled as they ran up to their bedrooms. _

"_Who is this?" Johnny demanded as he crossed his arms. _

_Will put the back of his hand over his mouth as he looked between his mom and brother, "Um, this is Alex." _

_Sami looked between Ari sleeping on the love seat and the red scratch down Alex's face and asked, "So I take it things went well?" _

"_Something like that," Will mumbled. Will took Alex's hand and stood up, "Alex, this is my mom, Sami. Mom, Alex." _

_Sami shook Alex's hand as she appraised him, '_He's nice looking I'll give him that but I don't know about anything else yet.'

_Johnny shoved his mother out of the way, "And I'm Johnny, Will's brother. And I don't want to see you kissing him like that again." _

_Alex lifted an eyebrow at that greeting, "I'm probably not going to listen to that." _

"_What's with your face?" Sami gestured to Alex's scrape. _

"_Um," Will bit his lip, "We might have had a slight mishap." _

"_By mishap he means the kid tried to pluck out my eyeball," Alex informed them. _

"_Excuse me?" Sami looked at Will in alarm. "I knew she'd have an issue with you dating but I didn't think it would be that bad." _

"_Yeah," Will shook his head. "Me too." _

_Alex didn't particularly care for the forlorn expression on Will's face. "As I said," Alex put his hand low on Will's back, "It could be worse."_

* * *

Sami contemplated not cleaning up any of the mess they made of their dinner in the waiting room as payback for the front desk being so unhelpful. '_No need to punish the custodians though_,' Sami thought as she started gathering all the trash, _'I'll find a way to make them regret denying me information later_.'

Johnny, playing with Sami's phone after being threatened not to open his big mouth and set off Ari again, yelled out, "Call!"

Sami threw everything away before taking her phone. Seeing Lucas' name she rolled her eyes, "Hello?"

"Sami," Lucas started yelling, "What the hell kind of message was that? What the hell is happening with our son?"

"Is he your son this week?" Sami asked sarcastically. She could hear Adrienne bellowing questions in the background. "I can't keep up on when you feel like being a parent."

"Sami," Lucas shouted in exasperation. "Just tell me what happened."

"Fine," Sami sighed as she walked outside of the room and began explaining everything to Lucas.

Alex watched as Sami walked out of the room. He moved Ari over to the other side of his lap and looked at his watch. '_How long does it take to pull out a spleen, Jesus_?'

"Who is grandma talking to?" Ari asked as she watched her grandma waving her hands around and using her angry face.

"Lucas," Alex informed her. He and Will had attempted to explain the complicated familial situation to Ari but he wasn't sure if she got it or not.

"Is he my uncle or something?" Ari wrinkled her nose as she tried to concentrate.

"Grandpa actually," Alex clarified.

"I thought that other guy was my grandpa? And the one that grandma has lots of pictures of around the house?" Ari really didn't understand how this all worked.

"Technically I guess they all are if you want them to be," Alex shrugged.

Ari contemplated it for a moment before deciding, "I like the one that buys me presents."

"Of course you do," Alex chuckled. '_Seriously though how long is this supposed to take_?'

Sami came back in, "Well that was fun."

"Isn't it always?" Alex asked with a fake grin.

Before Sami could respond the same doctor from before came back into the room.

Alex and Sami stood up at the same time with Ari slipping to her feet.

"What happened? Is he OK? Where is he?" Alex started firing rapidly without giving the doctor any time to respond.

The doctor held up his hands for Alex to stop talking, "Everything is fine. The procedure went well and we've got him situated in a recovery. As soon as we move him to a room you can see him."

"OK," Alex closed his eyes and sighed in relief. He wouldn't be completely relaxed until he saw with his own eyes that Will was actually fine.

"What can we expect now?" Sami questioned the doctor. "What's his aftercare going to be like?"

"We've got him hooked up to an IV and we've given him some pain medication," the doctor answered a bit wearily. He was exhausted and wanted to go home but he remembered how frightening the lady was earlier.

"When do we get to go home?" Ari demanded as she glared at the doctor.

"Oh," the doctor didn't even notice the little one down there. "Well that depends on how everything looks. At the most he'll be here until morning." Looking back at the adults the doctor said, "I'll send someone out to get you in a few minutes when he's been moved to a new room."

"You better," Sami threatened weakly when he started walking away.

* * *

"Alright if we're going in you can't be jumping all over him, got it?" Alex told Ari as they stopped outside Will's door. "He's all hurt or whatever."

"I know," Ari insisted in an aggravated tone. "You told me four times," she mumbled under her breath.

"Right," Alex pushed the door open and tried not to react too much even though his heart was pounding painfully against his chest.

Ari, however, did not have that problem. "Daddy," she shouted happily as she ran for the bed and stopped herself just in time before she climbed on the bed. She pouted slightly when he stayed asleep. Prodding his arm Ari loudly yelled, "Wake up!"

"Hey," Alex closed the door, "He needs to sleep."

"He needs to wake up," Ari argued.

Alex dragged a chair from the corner of the room for them to sit. He felt a little creepy watching Will but at the same time he almost couldn't look away. Will looked very much the same as when Alex had seen him last, pale and sick looking.

He glanced around the room and spied a bag with Will's personal effects.

"Where did they cut him?" Ari asked as she looked over her father's motionless figure.

Alex pointed to Will's other side, "Right there. Just a few little cuts though, nothing too bad. Plus you heard the doctor. Everything went the way it was supposed to."

"Like with the cactus?" Ari was trying to make sense of someone needing to slice her daddy open to make him better.

"Yep," Alex nodded. Seeing Will in person helped lessen the lump in his throat but he wanted to see Will open his eyes. Wanted to see Will's eyes and hear his voice and listen to him laugh.

"Is he OK now?" Ari whispered.

"Yeah," Alex told her as he took a shaky breath and tried to focus. "He's going to be fine," Alex repeated.

Ari leaned backwards to get a closer look at Alex. "If daddy is going to be alright why are you crying?" Ari asked feeling a bit awed. She had never, ever seen Alex cry before.

"I'm not crying," Alex insisted as he turned his head away from Ari and sniffed loudly.

"Yes you are," Ari argued as she pointed as his face. "It's OK," Ari patted his cheek, "I cried earlier and you didn't care."

"I'm not crying," Alex said again defensively.

"You are," Ari told him, "But you can pretend if you want to. I won't tell anyone."

"I somehow doubt that," Alex looked at her again.

Ari shrugged before conceding, "I'll probably wait until I want something and then threaten to tell everyone."

"Damn, I am a bad influence on you," Alex shook his head.

Ari rested her head against Alex's chest, "I like when you influence me."

"Oh yeah?" Alex's lips quirked up briefly.

"I'm not saying it again," Ari told him haughtily.

Alex snorted and fondly patted Ari's head, _'Definitely influenced by me_.'

A few minutes later Alex, staring at Will, inhaled sharply when he saw Will tossing on the bed. Alex stood up and put Ari in the chair. Not even caring how ridiculous he probably looked Alex grabbed Will's hand and waited for him to open his eyes.

Will groaned slightly as he blinked several times. It took him a few moments to figure out what he was looking at and where he was. Before he knew it Alex's face was hovering above him.

"Hey," Alex grinned at Will and squeezed his hand. For the first time in hours it felt like he could really breathe.

"Hi," Will replied as he licked his lips and adjusted to the light. "What happened?"

"You're a big fat idiot that's what happened," Alex told him sternly even though he kept the smile on his face.

Will closed his eyes and said, "Sorry."

Will tried to remember what had happened and why he would be in what clearly was a hospital.

"You had an accident, remember?" Alex reminded Will in a low voice. "You passed out on me. They operated on you and had to take out your spleen."

"What's a spleen even do?" Will asked as he opened his eyes again to look at Alex.

Alex smiled in appreciation and answered, "I love you."

"I love you too," Will responded quizzically.

Ari, who had remained quiet the whole time, simply watched her daddy. She wanted to make sure he was really alright. Hearing his voice, even though it sounded a little off, calmed her down, made the panicked feeling go away.

Alex leaned down and kissed Will's forehead gently. He really, really wanted to wrap Will up and never let him go but Alex knew he was going to need to wait for that. Blinking several times again and covering his eyes Alex moved away from Will, "Well I know someone else who loves you too."

When Alex moved aside Ari hurriedly took his spot, "Daddy!"

"Hey, baby girl," Will smiled at her. He could only imagine how worried she must have been this whole time. As he looked her over Will was happy to see she didn't seem too worse for wear.

"Daddy," Ari held his hand against her face for a few moments before yelling, "Don't ever do that to me again!"

Will choked out a laugh as Ari started lecturing him.

"You scared me and you weren't there and I thought I was going to be stuck with Alex forever," Ari told him. "Please don't ever leave again."

"I'm sorry," Will promised her. "And I think you probably would have liked being with Alex."

"Nope," Ari shook her head. "He's just my napkin."

"How much of this stuff did they give me?" Will asked Alex as he gestured to his IV.

"I'll explain later," Alex assured him as he pushed the button for the nurse. Grabbing his phone he sent a message to Sami telling her she could come by. He paused for a moment before sending a message to his dad as well.

* * *

"Hey," Sami greeted as she opened the door. "How's my baby?"

"Not exactly a baby anymore," Will smiled at her.

"It doesn't matter how old you are you'll always be my baby," Sami promised him. She smiled as she saw Ari sitting on the edge of Will's bed and Alex holding Will's hand tightly.

Sami held the door open as she let Johnny, Allie and Sydney inside before her.

"Will," they all said as they rushed to the bed.

Sami put her hand over her mouth as she leaned against the door and watched all of her children together.

Ari didn't want to let her daddy out of her sight but she saw that her grandma was getting teary eyed too. Hopping off of the bed Ari walked over to her grandma and took her hand.

Sami kneeled down a bit when Ari tugged on her hand.

"It's OK to cry grandma," Ari whispered. "Alex was crying too."

"Thank you, sweetie," Sami replied as she lifted her up and carried her over to everyone else. Sami sat down on the edge of the bed and listened to Johnny beg Will to show him his wounds.

"I'll show you when they change the bandages," Will laughed. He looked over and saw Ari trying to hide a yawn. "Mom," Will caught her eyes, "Will you take her home for tonight?"

"Of course," Sami responded.

"No," Ari complained. "I want to stay with you."

"I know you do," Will told her. "But it's not going to be very fun here. I'm just going to go back to sleep soon."

"No," Ari whined.

Alex thought back to what Sami told him earlier about parenting being hard. '_And I don't want to do this but I will.' _

Alex squeezed Will's hand, "Come on, kid. You and I can just go home and we'll come back in the morning."

Will smiled at Alex warmly. He sincerely loved every moment that Alex and Ari spent together. He knew Alex would have preferred to stay with him but Will was glad Alex was going to spend the night with Ari instead.

Ari thought it over for a minute. "OK," she finally said, "But I'm not happy about it."

"Me either," Alex admitted. "But you gotta do what you gotta do."

"Come on," Sami told everyone, "You guys say goodbye and we'll give Will and Alex a moment alone."

Allie and Sydney both leaned over and kissed one of Will's cheeks. "Bye, Will," Sydney said. "Get better."

"Don't do that again. You scared us," Allie warned as she walked away.

Johnny put his head on Will's chest near his neck and whispered so only he would hear, "Please don't leave us."

"I'm not going to," Will told him. "Thanks for taking care of everyone."

Johnny nodded before walking to the door.

Sami kissed Will loudly on his cheek. "You do anything like that again and I'm going to slap you so hard you won't be able to see straight," she informed him.

"I figured," Will admitted. "Thanks for being here, Mama."

"Always," Sami promised. She turned towards Alex and carefully fixed his slightly too long hair. "We'll be outside and then I'll take you to pick up your car."

Ari carefully climbed onto the bed once her grandma was out of the way and hugged Will. "I love you," Ari told him as she kissed his cheek over and over and over.

Will put one arm around her, "I love you too and I'm sorry I scared you."

"Never, ever again," Ari told him as she climbed off the bed.

Alex moved his chair closer to Will and gave him a small smile.

"Thank you," Will said as he brushed his thumb along Alex's pulse point. When he saw Alex's questioning look Will added, "For taking care of her, them, for loving us."

"Yeah, well," Alex shrugged. "It's really not that hard." Lifting their interlocked hands to his lips Alex kissed Will's palm. "But you, on the other hand, you insist on making my life difficult."

"It's a specialty of mine," Will joked. "Thanks for putting up with me."

"Well," Alex stood up, "If I have it my way I'm going to be doing that forever." He kissed Will briefly on the lips. He grabbed the bag with Will's things and put them near his bed. "We'll be back in the morning."

* * *

Alex pulled into the driveway and shut off the car. He glanced in the rearview mirror and saw that Ari had fallen asleep.

Carefully taking her out of the car and inside Alex locked the front door behind him. Being inside of their house and surrounding himself with familiar sights, sounds and scents calmed him down a bit. As he was walking up the stairs Alex paused at the top not sure which direction he wanted to go next.

Making a decision Alex turned right and carried Ari to his and Will's bedroom. He gently placed her down on Will's side of the bed and watched as she snuggled into his pillow. Alex took off Ari's shoes and socks before getting rid of his own and crawling into bed next to her.

Alex closed his eyes and tried to relax before he rolled onto his side and winced when felt his cell phone crushing into his side. Alex ripped it out of his pocket and took a few moments before he gave in and dialed Will's number.

"Couldn't even go an hour without talking to me?" Will teased as he answered the phone.

"Guess not," Alex confessed in a quiet tone so Ari wouldn't wake up. "Don't ever do that to me again," Alex begged feeling his eyes water again.

"I won't," Will promised. "I'm not going anywhere," Will assured him. "Tomorrow morning I get to go home and you and Ari can fight over who is going to smother me with attention."

"I call not helping to clean your wounds," Alex chuckled as he wiped under his eyes. "But seriously don't ever leave me, her, us."

"I love you both too much for that," Will admitted sleepily.

"Do you want to hang up?" Alex asked in a slightly strangled voice.

"No," Will told him with a slight smile. "I just might fall asleep on you."

"I don't care," Alex promised.

Alex and Will talked on the phone until Will drifted off to sleep. Alex would deny it if anyone every asked but he held his phone to his ear and fell asleep listening to the soft sounds Will was making in his sleep.

* * *

Alex woke up suddenly when he heard small whimpering sounds from beside him. He reached out and grabbed Ari and pulled her against him. He shushed her quietly until she stopped and relaxed against him.

"Alex?" Ari questioned only slightly awake.

"It's OK," Alex whispered over and over. "I've got you. You can go back to sleep."

"Love you," Ari sighed as she fell back asleep.

"Love you too," Alex admitted as he held her close and closed his eyes.

* * *

Author's note:

I couldn't resist a mushy end to the chapter. Alex was very overcome with emotions this time around.

Please review and let me know what you thought.

Thank you for reading!

As always a big thank you to iluvh0rs3s for being such an inspiration for this story. Every time I feel stuck you're always there supporting and encouraging me. I honestly would never get anything written without you!

Also all the medical info I got from an extended trip to the doctor's office. I by no means know what I'm talking about really.

PS. I keep getting asked which actor I picture as Will and the truth is I picture both. Some scenes I see CM and others I see GW. But everyone is free to envision whoever they like.


	9. Chapter 9

Alex held the door for Will and Ari as they stepped outside of the psychiatrist's office. Alex flared his nostrils in annoyance thinking about the session they had just had.

'_Stupid doctor,_' Alex thought as he grabbed Will's hand and pulled in the direction of the gelato shop a bit down the street. Alex had no way of telling what was going through Will or Ari's head about the matter and he hated that.

Ari had been particularly clingy after Will's surgery. Even though there had been no complications or setbacks in Will's recovery Ari was very unwilling to leave Will or Alex's side. At first Alex and Will didn't even notice. Ari didn't act any different really. She didn't say anything out of the usual. Both didn't think anything of it when Ari would follow one or the other around the house. Alex thought it was fairly cute when Ari would insist on helping Will with everything.

However, once Will had adjusted and was practically back to normal Ari still continued to follow both of them around. She would go to school like normal and even spend time with her grandma and uncle and aunts but only when Will or Alex was there. The second Ari would see Will or Alex she would automatically defer to them and only did things if one or the other suggested it first. A lot of the time Ari would even go so far as to ask for permission for everyday things. A few times Alex even noticed that she would inform the both of them of her every move and actions.

She also had taken to climbing into their bed in the middle of the night. Neither Will nor Alex complained too much about the matter but it did put a bit of a downer on their love life. Alex and Will hadn't been able to get a moment alone since the surgery to have sex again and it was really beginning to drive them both insane.

The two chalked it all up to Ari reacting to the surgery. It was a big moment for all of them. Will and Alex were very understanding the first few weeks. But it had been a few months and Ari hadn't shown any changes or improvement. In fact Alex personally thought she was getting worse.

Just that morning Alex had left Will and Ari both asleep in bed to run to the bathroom. He was barely gone a few minutes but when he opened the door he nearly stepped on Ari. With Will fast asleep Ari had followed Alex to the bathroom and was sitting outside on the floor staring at the door waiting for him.

As soon as Will woke up he called Ari's doctor for an emergency session. They had already seen the doctor twice since Will's surgery. The woman had assured them that Ari's reaction was normal. However, even the doctor was starting to get concerned now.

'_And now we have to decide if we want to go through with her stupid fucking advice or not_,' Alex thought as he opened the door to the gelato shop and waited for Will and Ari to go inside.

After ordering he three of them sat on the patio outside and ate their gelato.

Will gave Alex and Ari both a small smile. "How is it?" Will questioned Ari as he saw her shoving spoonful after spoonful into her mouth.

"Good," Ari admitted as she licked her lips.

"And how are you feeling after going to the doctor?" Will wondered wanting to get an idea of what was going through her head.

Ari shrugged, "I don't know. I didn't really get what she was saying."

'_That makes two of us_,' Alex took a drink to keep himself from saying anything.

Will put down his spoon before saying gently, "She thinks it might be a good idea for both of us to maybe go visit where we used to live."

"Why?" Ari demanded as she stared into Will's eyes, "Why would we want to do that?"

"Because," Will licked his lips nervously, "She thinks it might be good for the two of us to face some fears. That if you see that I don't have a problem being there a lot of our issues would go away."

"Like what?" Ari wanted to know.

"Um," Will tried to think of how to explain it, "Well if we were both there I could show you there's nothing to be afraid of and that I'm not going to leave you."

"But I don't want to go there," Ari informed Will. "I don't like that place and I never want to go back."

"Well," Alex interjected happily, "That's that, might as well think of something else."

Will shot him an annoyed glance, feeling completely unfazed looking at Alex's ridiculously exaggerated smile.

After they were done with their gelato they took the short trip back to the car and started to drive home. With Ari playing with Will's phone and Alex driving Will rested his head against the window and thought about what Ari's therapist said to him while Ari and Alex were playing with some toys.

"_I just think it might be beneficial to the both of you," the woman explained to Will gently. "I know you said you left under difficult circumstances but I think it would be best for Ari. You both would be able to close that door to your past. You said you've already been in contact with some of the people you left behind." _

"_Only briefly," Will told her quietly. _

"_If Ari could see that you have nothing left to fear with that place she might finally be able to move on from it as well," the doctor said. "I just want you to think about it all. It might really be what's best for you. You could see everything you left behind and come back here, home, with your head held high and your newfound confidence intact."_

"_I-I have to think about it," Will finally said after a few moments._

* * *

Will closed Ari's bedroom door and hoped that she would stay in her own bed the whole night. These past few months almost reminded him of the events leading up to his decision to leave Salem. '_At least she doesn't scream every night for Sonny though_,' Will reminded himself as he followed Alex to their bedroom.

"God that's exhausting," Alex announced as he flopped down on the bed like a starfish.

"Exactly," Will agreed as he snuggled against Alex's warm back.

"It's emotionally draining doing this every day," Alex admitted to Will. "I have no idea how you managed to do it when she was a toddler."

"Me either," Will replied.

As the two rested in comfortable silence Alex finally asked, "You're really thinking about going, aren't you?"

"I don't know," Will sighed as rolled onto his back and gave Alex a sad look. "I feel like I have to, you know?"

"Not really no," Alex said bluntly. "You've always said you left and you're never going back."

"Well it's not like I want to," Will sighed. "I just think maybe the doctor is right. If I can face my fears and let go of everything maybe Ari will too."

"And I think that doctor is an asshole," Alex replied. "If you don't want to go then you shouldn't have to go."

"There are a lot of things I don't want," Will mused, "I don't want Ari to have nightmares every night and I don't want her to follow us around like we're going to disappear if we leave her side."

"I don't want those things either," Alex said defensively, "But I don't think going to Salem of all places is going to help that."

"I don't know what else to do," Will said in a slightly panicked tone. "I-I can't handle watching her like this again. OK? I can't. I wasn't able to before and now I-I don't know what to do."

"Hey," Alex moved onto his side. "Hey, it's OK. I'm not trying to argue with you. I just want to understand what's going through your head."

Will let Alex pull him close to his chest, "I think we need to really actually consider it. If I'm as different as everyone likes to say I am than going to Salem won't be a big deal."

"Or it could be a total disaster and turn you back into who you used to be," Alex pointed out.

"You won't let that happen," Will answered confidently.

"I really wouldn't," Alex smirked, "I'll probably be the one causing problems for you anyway."

"Probably," Will nodded and then started laughing when Alex smacked him on the butt.

"I thought boyfriends were supposed to defend each other," Alex said mockingly as he used his other hand to pull at the drawstrings on Will's sweatpants.

"I don't think I've ever heard of that rule before," Will teased closing his eyes as Alex's hands slid inside of his pants.

"I'll give you a list of rules I want you to follow later," Alex squeezed against Will's ass before leaning down to kiss him.

Before either of them could do anything else their bedroom door burst open, "Daddy, Alex," Ari said in a small voice.

"One of these days I'm going to get laid again," Alex grumbled under his breath as he removed his hands. "One of these days."

* * *

_Will sat down on the couch as he stared off into space. Sonny had just walked out, left. '_Left me_,' Will thought as he felt his lips beginning to tremble. _

'Oh god_,' Will closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around himself. '_Oh god, oh god, oh god_.' _

_Will didn't know what he was supposed to do now. How he was supposed to react or feel. He didn't think he was numb because he could feel a horrible sensation in his chest burning up to his throat. His eyes were clenched together futilely attempting to hold his tears at bay. _

_Will wasn't so far gone that he didn't realize this could happen. He thought it would have happened before this though. '_Maybe when Sonny found out about Paul or what happened with Jaime in LA. But I thought things were working. He told me we were working. How did this happen_?' _

_Will shook his head, '_He said he was committed to me_.' _

'Oh_,' Will finally opened his eyes, _'Committed, not in love. He doesn't love me. He loves Paul_.' _

_As soon as he admitted that Will felt the tears rolling down his face. '_Oh god, does this mean he ever loved me? Or was I just there? Everything he ever told me, every promise he ever made, were they for me? Did he ever see me?'

_All Will could think about was when he was younger and Sonny would reassure him. When someone like Brian or Brent or Adrienne would make him feel like he wasn't worthy. '_And I wasn't, was I_?' _

_Will knew that when Sonny left with a bag in hand it wasn't to stay with his parents or his uncle. '_I guess that explains why he would never tell me if he still loved Paul or not.'

_Hearing a few whimpers coming from Ari's bedroom Will wiped his eyes and stood up. He gave her a small smile when he saw her rubbing her sleepy eyes. _

"_Hi, princess," Will said trying to keep a happy smile on his face. _

"_Daddy," Ari mumbled as she lifted her arms indicating he needed to pick her up. _

"_Feeling lazy today?" Will teased as he picked her up along with the sippy cup he left at the side of her bed and walked into the front room. _

_Ari grabbed the cup out of his hands and guzzled some water. _

_Will sat them both down on the couch and turned on the TV for her to watch Sesame Street. Kissing the top of Ari's head Will got up and walked into the kitchen to find her something to eat. Finding some cereal Will poured it in a bowl and handed it to Ari. _

_Needing a moment Will walked into the bathroom and paused when he saw a tiny picture of an anchor he had hung up after the wedding. It was just an old fashioned looking anchor in a basic black frame. Will saw it when he went with Marlena to a flea market once. He saw it and it immediately reminded Will of __**him**__. _

_Staring at it Will took a few deep breaths before ripping it off the wall and throwing it in the trash can. _

"_Daddy," Ari yelled, "Juice!" _

'Don't think about **him**,_' Will told himself over and over again as he walked back into the room and tried for Ari's sake to pretend everything was fine. '_Don't think about **him**. Don't think about **him**. Don't think about **him**.'

* * *

"You want to go to grandma's house for dinner?" Will asked Ari as he placed a bowl of cereal in front of her.

"OK," Ari decided as she started eating her fruit loops. Looking up suddenly her eyes darted between Will and Alex, "You'll both be there though, right?"

"Of course," Will gave her a strained smile. He hate, hate, hated how dependent upon him and Alex she was getting. '_God she hasn't even argued with Alex in a month. It's not natural!_'

"Maybe your mother will be able to talk some sense into you about this whole situation," Alex told Will as he walked to the table and sat down.

"If you think my mother is going to say anything sensible, Alex," Will trailed off knowing that thought didn't even need to be finished.

"I'm telling her you said that," Alex promised Will. "And also I still don't get this stupid thing."

"Get what?" Ari asked wanting to be a part of the conversation.

"Hey," Will said, cutting Alex off before he could say anything, "Remember last fall when we went to that pumpkin patch?" Seeing Ari nod Will added, "And we went on that haunted hay ride and you got scared?"

"Yes," Ari narrowed her eyes slightly wondering where this was going.

"You said you never wanted to go back. But what if you thought about it really hard and you realized maybe you should go back. Maybe it would be best for you to go back. Maybe if you went back you wouldn't be afraid of it anymore," Will started rambling on, "Does that make sense?"

Ari blinked a few times, "No. It scared me and I didn't like it. Why would I go back?"

"I don't know, baby," Will shook his head and looked at the table. "I don't know."

* * *

_Will carefully placed Ari in her bed. She had finally exhausted herself from sobbing after two long, painful hours. _

'Please stay asleep_,' Will begged as he quietly tiptoed out of her room. _

_Spotting his phone on the couch Will picked it up and hoped he would see a message from __**him**__. Will tried calling but his calls were just ignored. He tried texting but __**he**__ never replied. Will didn't care at all about himself. He only cared for Ari's sake. _

_Today marked one week since __**he**__ had left and Will was getting desperate. Seven days without __**him**__ and Ari has barely slept at all. She followed Will around the house and hardly played with her toys unless Will forced her to. _

_The first few days Will had blamed himself. Will was the one to chase __**him**__ away. Will thought it was his fault that Ari was taking everything so badly. _'If I was a better person I wouldn't have ruined my family_.' _

_But now Will was just angry. '_If **he** ever loved Ari the way **he** claimed, the way **he** promised then **he **wouldn't be able to stay away._' _

_When Will went away on his writing fellowship he could barely stand being away from Ari for that long. Will honestly had no idea how __**he**__ could willingly stay away from Ari now. '_**Him** and everyone else_.' _

_Will had assumed after the news got out that at least his grandma Marlena would come by to check up on them. His dad should have as well. '_But no one has. Not a single visit or message. Nothing_.' _

'Why is Ari being punished for something I did_?' Will wondered as he covered his eyes with the palm of his hands. He was so exhausted physically and emotionally. He had been up almost every night consoling Ari in whatever way he could. Just when he would fall asleep that would be when she would wake up screaming. _

_Will knew he was the one that watched her during the day anyway but __**he**__ had always been there at night. They would read Ari a bedtime story together. __**He**__ was always around and Will literally could not understand how __**he**__ could just leave. _

_Will had been so desperate that night he sent __**him**__ a video message of Ari crying and screaming for __**him**__. '_How could **he** just ignore that? Ignore her? Does **he** really hate me that much that **he** would do this to her? Is **he** trying to punish me this way?'

'I have never appreciated how hard my mom had it when I was a kid more than I do now_,' Will decided. He could not imagine how difficult it must have been having to deal with a child and trying to figure out everything while fighting for custody every other week. '_At least I had two parents that wanted me_,' Will thought ruefully. _

_Shaking his phone Will started to get upset. Opening up a text Will angrily sent: __**WTF IS THE MATTER WITH YOU? WHY ARE YOU IGNORING HER? SHE WANTS YOU!**_

_Will didn't think it would do any good but he had hope still. When Ari started screaming again Will rushed into her room and let her curl her small little fingers into his shirt and hide her face in his neck. _

_The next morning Will wasn't even surprised when he had no messages._

* * *

Will found himself staring off into space. '_Stop that_,' Will ordered. Taking a few deep breaths Will turned back to the document opened in front of him. The stupid blinking cursor and the completely empty contents stared mockingly at him.

'_God_,' Will covered his eyes, '_Why can't I write anything_?'

He knew he had deadlines he needed to meet. He knew exactly what he wanted to write but absolutely nothing was coming out. All he could focus on was his daughter and her behavior and the stupid past.

'_Just relax_,' Will told himself. '_Get up and take a walk and clear my head. Then maybe it will come to me.' _

Will waved at the security guard at his desk when he stepped out of the elevator and outside. Heading for the Starbucks down the road Will paused mid-step when he saw someone waiting outside the building for him.

"You really are predictable you know," Alex commented as he pushed off the column he was leaning against. "Although I have been waiting for about twenty minutes so maybe I should give you a bit more credit."

"Maybe you just know me better than anyone," Will said as he took Alex's hand and the two walked to the coffee shop together.

"Of course I do," Alex bragged. "Now," Alex yanked Will closer to him to put his hand in Will's back pocket, "You gonna tell me what's running through your head?"

"Just the same as before," Will shrugged. "I feel like I need to do something."

"Well, yeah," Alex agreed, "But it doesn't need to be that. For all we know it could make everything worse. We could get to that hell hole and Ari could take one look at a familiar spot and go into some downward spiral."

"I don't think she's really going to recognize anything though," Will pointed out as they crossed the busy street. "I think it's just mostly sensations that she remembers."

"OK," Alex nodded, "So why would we want to take her somewhere the two of you were so miserable you had to move to the other side of the country?"

"I don't know," Will whined, "I just feel like it makes some sort of sense. Ari mostly gets upset because of me and I think that if I prove to her that I can handle being in Salem than maybe she'll be able to handle it too."

"Well that doesn't make any sense to me," Alex reminded Will, "And how do you even know you'll be able to handle it? What if you're the one that sets foot in that place and freaks out?"

"I know," Will understood everything Alex was saying. "I just don't know what to do."

"Let's just stop thinking about it," Alex suggested as they walked into Starbucks and got into line, "We can enjoy our break and maybe see if we can sneak off to the bathroom for some alone time."

* * *

_Will laughed a bit as he followed Ari down the aisle at the grocery store. He knew this particular store was a bit more expensive than he should have been going to but it had tiny child-sized shopping carts Ari loved. It was well worth the extra cost to see Ari smiling and laughing as she haphazardly pushed the cart around the store. _

"_Whoa," Will shouted as Ari nearly ran into a display. "You are a crazy driver," Will teased. _

"_Oopsie," Ari giggled as she righted the cart and asked, "Now what?" _

"_Hmm," Will pretended to think, "I think we need to buy you some snacks." _

"_Snacks," Ari yelled gleefully as she started grabbing things off the shelves she recognized and tossed them in her cart. _

"_There goes my budget," Will murmured to himself. When the monthly bills started coming in the mail Will nearly had a heart attack when he realized he was going to have to pay for them all himself. '_On top of buying food and paying for a babysitter whenever Ari can handle it again.'

_But Will couldn't tell Ari no about the snacks now. She looked so happy for the first time simply getting to pick out fruit snacks and pretzels. '_I'll find a way to make it work_.' _

"_Well," a familiar voice from behind Will and Ari said, "This doesn't look like the behavior of someone having a freak out." _

_Will turned around to spy Adrienne standing in the same aisle as them with a small basket full of groceries. At first Will didn't even realize what she was talking about until he looked in the direction she was staring and saw a smile on Ari's face as she continued down the aisle. _

"_That's because she's happy right now," Will said defensively. He knew Adrienne had never thought he was right for her son and he supposed she had a point considering the things he had done. '_But I don't understand how she can possibly question that about Ari now.'

"_Right," Adrienne huffed and rolled her eyes. _

"_What does that mean?" Will demanded not liking the tone she was using. _

"_That I was always right and you are just as bad as your mother," Adrienne looked into Will's eyes and continued, "I wanted to be wrong but here you are using your daughter as a pawn." _

"_What the hell are you talking about?" Will wondered as he started hunching his shoulders together. _

"_Sending that video to Sonny was low even for you," Adrienne informed Will as she stepped closer and pointed in his face. "How did you even convince her to do it, huh? Are you really so desperate as to teach your daughter how to manipulate people this young?" _

"_Just get it through your head," Adrienne finished. "You lost Sonny. He's finally happy now without you." Looking Will over Adrienne shook her head, "And you are never going to change." _

_Ari, realizing her daddy wasn't following behind her, turned her cart around and purposely crashed into him. When he barely reacted Ari looked up and saw a stricken look on his face. _

"_Daddy," Ari whispered. Every time he cried she tended to cry too. _

_Will, finally breaking out of whatever spell he was under, gave Ari a small smile and wiped the tears on his own face before wiping away hers. _

"_Come on," Will encouraged, "Let's finish here and then we can go back home."_

* * *

Will watched as Ari colored in her coloring book, looking back at him or Alex every few minutes. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the back of the couch.

"I see what you mean," Sami said as she sat down on Will's either side. "It is getting out of hand, isn't it?"

"Unfortunately," Alex told her as he scooted over on the couch to get closer to Will.

"And the doctor really thinks that going to Salem of all places is a good idea?" Sami wasn't sure how she felt about that.

"That's what she says," Alex responded. "Personally I think it's stupid but someone," Alex gestured towards Will, "Is considering it."

Will opened his eyes and admitted, "I just want to make sure that we try everything. If we coddle her she gets worse. If we try ignoring her she throws an even bigger fit. I can't just sit around and watch this happen to her all over again."

"No one is saying that you should," Sami insisted. "We're just questioning whether or not this is healthy for either of you."

"I know," Will sighed as he turned slightly so he could lean against Alex. "I've just been thinking about it. If I was in Salem what is the worst thing that could happen? I see someone and get upset? Who would I get upset over? I've seen basically everyone over the past few months and I was fine."

"Yeah," Alex said sounding a bit confused, "But you were also able to control those situations a bit better. In Salem you're basically screwed."

"Well," Will stated, "It's not like I really need to go exploring or anything. We could see Gabi or your dad and the twins and my grandma. We don't have to go anywhere that is going to freak me out or anything."

"I guess that's true," Sami agreed. "But are you really sure?"

"No," Will confessed. "But the idea of Salem I think is scarier than the real thing. I like to think that I left Salem, the place, and suddenly everything was better in my life but that wasn't true. Ari wasn't better and I wasn't better. It took a lot of time for that to happen and it wasn't just because we left."

"And yeah Salem has a lot more crimes and questionable people and I was a lot douchier there than I am here," Will continued, speaking in a low voice so Ari and Sydney couldn't hear him from the other side of the room, "But it's not exactly the city's fault. I like to imagine that Salem is some vortex of evil but it isn't. Every bad choice and decision I've ever made was my own fault."

"Well," Sami interjected, "I think I influenced a lot of those decisions."

"This isn't the time for a nature versus nurture debate," Alex shot back.

"And maybe if I stayed in Salem I would have been swayed into making more bad decisions," Will easily ignored them both, "But the same could be said here. The only difference between here and there is the people I'm surrounded by."

"It is fairly remarkable that we," Alex pointed between himself and Sami, "Are somehow the good influences."

"I'm just saying that I've already faced the people I didn't want to see again," Will shrugged, "And I'm fine. Going to Salem shouldn't be something terrifying if I really moved past everything that happened."

"It shouldn't, yes," Sami granted, "But that doesn't mean it wouldn't upset you to be there. Or that it wouldn't remind you of some bad times."

"It might remind me of good times though," Will suggested. "I mean it's not like my entire life was awful. Maybe the last year or so I was there was pretty bad but it's not like the twenty some odd before that were all terrible."

"OK," Alex said awkwardly, "I guess not."

"Didn't you live in Salem for a while?" Sami questioned Alex.

"I went to high school there for about a minute," Alex shrugged. "It wasn't very memorable."

"Wow," Sami said getting a big smile on her face, "What if you guys had stayed in Salem. I wonder if you two would have ever happened."

Will smiled thinking about, "Alex thinks so, yes."

"Oh really?" Sami raised a single eyebrow in surprise. "Is that so?"

"Yes," Alex rolled his eyes. "One way or another."

"I did not ever take you for someone that believes in fate," Sami announced, "I'm a little shocked."

"I didn't say I believed in fate or destiny or any of that bullshit," Alex gave Sami an offended look, "I just think that some things are a sure deal."

Will and Sami shared a look and both rolled their eyes. _'Fate_,' they both thought.

"Anyway," Alex knew what those two were doing, "Back to the matter at hand. Salem. Are we doing this or what?"

"I don't know," Will still had no clue what the right thing would be.

"Well before you decide you should try talking things over with the little princess over there," Sami suggested as she stood up to check on dinner. "You know she likes thinking she's in charge anyway."

* * *

"_I just don't know what I'm supposed to do," Will admitted as he talked to his mother on the phone. "She's miserable. I'm miserable. I don't think I can do this much longer." _

"_I know it's hard," Sami told Will. Taking a few moments Sami finally said, "But you can't live like this. You and Ari both deserve better." _

"_I don't know what to do," Will repeated as he started crying again. "Everywhere I go people stare at me like I'm this horrible monster. No one will reply to my messages. No one has even checked on Ari. What am I supposed to do?" _

"_Leave," Sami answered him firmly, "That's what you do when something gets to be too much." _

"_B-but I can't just go," Will whispered wetly into the phone. _

"_You need to do whatever you think is best," Sami maintained, "Whatever is best for your child and yourself. And let's face it Will this town is never going to let you change or forget what happened." _

"_Right," Will sighed. _

"_Just think about it," Sami said in a much softer tone. "And let me know what you decide." _

"_I will," Will responded when he heard a loud scream from his bedroom. "I gotta go," Will stated. _

_Sami winced when she heard Ari screaming for Will over the phone, "Good luck."_

* * *

With his mom in the kitchen and Ari, momentarily happily distracted, Will rotated on the couch so he was facing Alex.

"OK," Will put his hand on Alex's arm, "Honest opinion. What do you think we should do?"

"It's up to you," Alex shrugged, "It's your kid."

"Don't do that," Will shook his head. "If I thought that I wouldn't be asking you. And it's not just me in this. You're an important part of both of our lives and we need to decide this kind of stuff together."

Alex narrowed his eyes a bit. '_Parenting, making decisions, blah blah blah.' _

"I already told you I think it's stupid," Alex said, "You're the one that keeps ignoring that."

"I don't mean to ignore it," Will gave Alex a sad look, lips downturned and pouted, "I just, I'm really confused as to what the best decision is."

"Well ignoring me doesn't make me want to help you," Alex informed him before rolling his eyes and putting his arm around Will. He wasn't in the habit of staying annoyed with Will for long. Everyone else yes but not Will. _'Stupid Will and stupid me for always giving in_.'

"I'll do a better job listening to you," Will promised. "So, just tell me why you think it's stupid."

"Because it is," Alex shortly replied. Sensing Will was getting frustrated Alex sighed, "And because I don't want you or Ari to get upset or be put in a position that might hurt you."

"And I know," Alex quickly added before Will could speak, "That you've already dealt with enough of the people you left behind but it's different being there verses anywhere else. I just want you and her to be OK."

"And you don't even know how much I love that about you," Will informed Alex, leaning up to kiss the side of his jaw, "But I think this might be something that I need to face. The last time I ran away. This time I want to look it over and calmly say goodbye to everything and everyone that ever hurt me or that I hurt. Does that make sense?"

"I guess," Alex knew it did. He just didn't have to like it. "We probably need to talk to the kid again, huh?"

"I think so, yeah," Will agreed.

* * *

_Will gave Gabi a nervous smile as he walked into the visiting room with Ari clutching onto him. _

"_There's mommy," Will told Ari as he made his way over to her. Will knew he was going to have to physically hand over Ari to Gabi. It didn't matter how much Ari loved her mother she wasn't letting Will go for anything. _

_Prying Ari's small arms from around his neck Will sat down next to Gabi and turned Ari in his lap so she was facing Gabi. _

_Gabi watched in concern at the way Ari refused to leave Will. Will had told her that Ari was having a bad reaction to Sonny leaving but Gabi thought Will was exaggerating. _

"_Hi," Gabi gave Will a sad look before leaning closer to Ari. "Hi, princess. Mommy missed you so much," Gabi smiled widely even though she could see the dark circles under Ari's eyes. _

_Ari looked back at Will for permission before saying, "Hi." _

_Gabi's face fell. She didn't regret what she did to Nick because it kept her daughter safe but it was painful to see her so withdrawn and miserable. A part of her wanted to lash out at Will, wanted to blame Will for this. _

'If he would have been a better husband to Sonny this never would have happened. Sonny was probably the only one that would put up with him how could he blow this?_' _

_But Gabi pushed those thoughts aside. She knew Will better than that. For all of his faults Gabi knew Will had tried his best. That Will had gone about everything the wrong way but that was who Will was. Will didn't know how to respond to stress or problems any other way than making things worse. _

'That's what Sami did and now that's what Will does. God, Ari wouldn't even exist if Will had normal coping skills._' _

_Will watched Gabi and felt his face crumbling. He was so sick and tired of seeing that look on everyone's face. _'What did I do so differently than everyone else that no one thinks I'm worth the effort anymore? Why are my mistakes so horrible?'

"_I'm sorry," Will confessed in a choked off voice. "I tried so hard to make things right and I made everything worse. I didn't mean to ruin everything. I didn't. I wouldn't." _

"_Will," Gabi reached out and took his hand. _

"_I didn't want this to happen," Will sobbed. "I promise I didn't. I know I disappointed you but I'm trying to make everything right for her." _

"_Daddy," Ari reached up and patted his cheeks the way he would do for her when she was crying. "No cry," she insisted. _

_That only made Will cry harder, "I'm so sorry, baby girl. I didn't mean to fail you, I didn't." _

_Ari shook her head, "Not bad. Ari love." _

_Gabi put both hands over her mouth and started to tear up too. _

"_Will," Gabi grabbed Will's hand again and squeezed it, "This isn't your fault." _

"_I'm the one that did this," Will took a few deep breaths so he would calm down, "I did this and I'm going to have to live with that for the rest of my life." _

"_No," Gabi shook her head. "It's not. You made mistakes but you aren't keeping him or anyone else away. That's all on them. They are choosing to stay away despite knowing what it would do to her." _

"_They're staying away because they think I'm making it up," Will told her, "That I'm just using her to get to __**him**__. But I wouldn't. I wouldn't do that." _

"_I know you wouldn't," Gabi assured him. "I know how much you love her. How much you're willing to do for her." _

"_Anything," Will insisted. _

"_I know," Gabi smiled sadly, "Just like I was." _

_After calming down Will was able to convince Ari to move over into Gabi's lap for a few minutes. When visiting time was over Gabi walked away with a heavy heart. She wasn't sure how much longer this arrangement was going to work._

_The next week Gabi wasn't even surprised when Will sat down next to her with a resolute expression on his face and said, "I want to move in with my mom." _

_Gabi pressed her lips together and smiled gently at Ari, taking in all of her features. Gabi hated this. She hated that her actions led her here. She knew she did the right thing even though it was hard. '_But it was worth it,'_ she reminded herself. Seeing Ari's beautiful face and hair and perfect little lips and nose Gabi knew she would do anything for her daughter. _'Including letting her go_,' she thought. _

"_I know," Gabi responded. "I know you do, Will." _

"_I just," Will started to explain, "I just can't take it anymore, Gabi. I can't handle being here with so many people that hate me. So many people that completely abandoned her. Neither of us are ever going to be able to move on if we stay here." _

"_I know that as much as I don't want to," Will confessed, "That eventually I'm going to crack and react in the complete opposite way that I should. I'll do something over the top and dramatic that is just going to prove to everyone I really am as awful as they think. I just know it." _

"_It's OK, Will," Gabi told him sadly. _

"_And I know that if that happens I'll be like my mom and never let this go," Will continued, "I'll keep pushing and pushing until I alienate Ari and she'll hate me and I'll lose her completely until she turns into me too and-" _

"_Will," Gabi cut him off. Blinking away tears Gabi nodded, "I-I understand." _

"_You do?" Will asked emphatically. "I know that it's not fair to you, not after everything. But I can't do this on my own, not here." _

"_I get it," Gabi gave a sad, wet chuckle. "I hate it but I get it. And you're right. It's best for Ari." _

"_I tried so hard," Will told her, "And if you want I'll keep trying." _

"_I know you have and you would," Gabi reached out to caress Ari's precious little face. "But we both have to do what's best for her not for us. So," Gabi started openly crying, "I want you to move away and if you have to never come back."_

* * *

Alex looked to Will to start the conversation. _'It's his idea. He gets to explain it. And hopefully without talking about hay rides,_' Alex wrinkled his nose thinking about their talk this morning.

"Here's the deal," Will told Ari as they sat outside on Sami's patio. "You're behavior has been really odd the past few months, right?"

"I guess," Ari admitted shyly. She didn't like having to talk about why she always wanted to be around her daddy or Alex.

"It's kind of like how you were before," Will gently explained. "How I was before too."

Ari shrugged and crossed her arms. She already didn't like this talk.

"Remember this morning when I did a really lousy job of explaining about going places that might be scary?" Will asked her while giving her a silly look.

"Yeah," Ari giggled. She always enjoyed when her daddy acted goofy.

"For daddy," Will tried to think of the easiest way to explain this, "That place is where we lived before we moved in with grandma."

"Oh," Ari didn't like that place. She didn't remember much other than crying a lot and being very sad at the end.

"And your doctor thinks that if we go back there than maybe you'll see that I've moved past all my fears of that place," Will said as he reached out and lifted her out of her chair and into his lap. "That maybe both of us will get past a few of our fears."

"I-I don't know," Ari stared at her daddy hoping for some answers. Turning to look beseechingly at Alex Ari asked, "What do you want to do?"

'_Damnit_,' Alex thought when both Will and Ari gazed at him with their identical blue eyes. "I guess it might not be so bad. Maybe. Potentially."

"If we go," Will said in a slightly brighter voice, "It wouldn't be for very long. Maybe just a weekend."

"And we definitely wouldn't do or see anyone we didn't want to," Alex added.

"Who would we see?" Ari questioned curiously. "Grandma and grandpa?"

Alex smiled despite himself at Ari referring to his dad as grandpa, "Yeah we could see them."

"And," Will beamed, "We can go and see your mommy."

"Mommy?" Ari perked up, voice getting higher. "Really?"

"Sure," Alex nodded, "What's a trip to Salem without a stop off at prison?"

* * *

_Will looked at the picture of himself, Ari, and him in the picture frame. Turning it over Will opened the back and took out the picture. He put the frame in the box marked, 'Goodwill,' and tossed the picture in a box marked, 'Storage.' _

_Looking around Will realized that was just about it. He had sold most of the furniture to pay for the moving truck he was renting. Will found two large bags to put Ari's toys in so she would be surrounded by something familiar on the long car ride to California. He had tried to explain everything to her but he wasn't sure if she understood they wouldn't be coming back this time. _

_Hearing the doorbell go off Will knew it was the movers. After everything he really didn't have much to bring with him but he was going to use his time to get Ari to comprehend the situation while the movers loaded the truck for him. _

_Will opened the door, signed a few forms, and instructed the two young guys there that everything went but the bags by the door. Watching them get started Will moved into Ari's old room and frowned when he saw how barren it looked without all her decorations. _

"_Hey, baby girl," Will greeted as he sat down on the floor and started playing with Ari's Little Mermaid Little People set with her. _

"_Daddy," Ari gave him a small smile. Her eyes were red and puffy still from the nightmares that woke her up that morning. _

"_In a little bit we're going to get in the truck and go on our long car ride," Will reminded Ari. "You'll have me and your toys the whole time." _

"_See Grandma?" Ari questioned seriously. _

_Will nodded, "Grandma, Johnny, Allie and Sydney." _

"_OK," Ari smiled as she put Ariel back into her shell carriage. "Go on trip," Ari told her toys. _

"_It's not a trip, remember?" Will knew this was going to be rough on Ari, '_But it can't get any worse than it is now.'

_Ari pushed the button on the toy and hummed along as the song started playing. _

_Once the movers had everything packed and ready for Will he thanked them and gave them each a tip out of curtesy. Walking through the empty apartment one last time Will was proud of himself when he was able to sniff back his tears. All the memories Will had in this apartment were washing over him. _

_Going to collect Ari and the toys she was playing with Will told her, "Say goodbye, Ari. It's time for us to move on."_

* * *

"And I'll see my mommy," Ari bragged to Allie and Sydney, "And my other grandma and my grandpa and those silly guys that look the same."

Alex snorted, "Joey will be so heartbroken she only thinks of him as that silly guy."

"Well," Will shrugged, "I told him she's temperamental."

"The real question," Sami passed out some dessert to the two of them, "Is whether or not you should tell anyone you're coming?"

"Hmm," Alex contemplated. "It would be pretty fun to turn the tables on them for barging in on us all the time."

"We'd have to find out where they live though," Will scratched at his chin thoughtfully. "Or ambush them at work."

"Also fun," Alex nodded as he stuck out his lips a bit. "OK maybe this trip won't be so bad."

"I know where everyone lives," Sami smiled pleasantly.

"How do you know?" Will chuckled at his mother a bit.

"I make it my business to know these things," Sami informed him as she took a bite of her food. "Just because I don't live in Salem anymore doesn't mean I don't have my spies."

"Well that's handy now," Alex said agreeably.

The three chatted together while Ari ate her dessert and talked with Sydney and Allie. When the three young girls were done Allie insisted Ari come upstairs and help her and Sydney play a prank on Johnny.

Ari looked between her daddy and Alex on the couch and the staircase. She was tempted to go upstairs but what if something happened to them while she was gone? Then what would she do?

Will, Alex and Sami all avidly watched Ari's internal struggle. Will was tempted to say something encouragingly but he wanted Ari to make the decision on her own.

Ari walked over to her daddy and Alex and told them very seriously, "I'm going upstairs. If something bad happens I want you to scream."

"OK," Will replied pressing him lips together tightly so he wouldn't smile or laugh at her.

As the young girls ran up the stairs giggling together Alex shook his head, "We need to write this shit down in a book or something."

* * *

About an hour later Will walked up the stairs to tell Ari it was time to go. Knocking on Allie's closed door he waited until he had permission to enter. The last time he simply opened the door and had gotten chewed out for it. '_Heaven forbid I see what they're doing_.'

"Hey, baby girl," Will grinned seeing Ari, Allie and Sydney giving each other makeovers. "It's time to go home."

"No way," Allie complained. "We're still playing."

"Come on," Sydney sighed dramatically. "We haven't even painted our nails yet."

Ari bit her bottom lip and looked at her aunts with big, wide eyes. She was having so much fun. She hadn't even once freaked out about not seeing her daddy or Alex in the entire time she was upstairs. But she also wasn't sure what to do now.

"If you want," Will sat on the edge of Allie's bed and looked at Ari, "You could stay here tonight."

"Yes," Allie insisted excitedly.

"Ari, you have to," Sydney agreed. "Come on," she pushed Ari's arm gently when Ari didn't say anything.

"Uh," Ari didn't know what to do. She wasn't used to being away from home after the past few months. Whenever it was grandma's night to watch all the kids Ari screamed and cried and insisted on going home. _'But I am having fun_,' Ari was torn.

"You could just try it out," Will encouraged, "And if it gets too scary I'll drive back over and pick you up."

"Really?" Ari asked. "Even if it's really, really late?"

"Even then," Will assured her, "You know I'd do anything for you."

"O-OK," Ari decided nervously, "I'll stay here."

"Cool," Will smiled trying not to overreact. "Now let's go downstairs and you can tell me and Alex goodnight."

* * *

"This is literally the first night we've been alone since your surgery," Alex announced as he and Will walked into their bedroom.

"Right?" Will inhaled and exhaled a few times, "Almost feels weird." Sitting down to take off his shoes Will looked up at Alex through his eyelashes, "Whatever are we going to do?"

Instead of answering Alex knocked Will onto his back and attacked his lips. Prying Will's mouth open with his tongue Alex worked on unfastening Will's pants and then his own.

"Missed this," Will mumbled against Alex's lips.

"So fucking much," Alex confirmed.

The two took a few moments to take off their shirts and for Will to toss his watch over the side of the bed. Alex grabbed the lube from their drawer and sat back down on the bed.

When they were both completely naked they both paused to look the other over. It had been longer than they had ever gone without being together like this. Except for a few rushed handjobs in the bathroom they hadn't had sex together in months.

Will reached out to put his arm around Alex's neck and pull him into a much gentler kiss. Closing his eyes and sighing in contentment Will pulled back a bit to say, "I love you."

"Love you too," Alex stated. He was tempted to say something sarcastic but didn't quite have it in him. He wanted this moment to be special even though thoughts like that usually annoyed him.

Pushing Will farther up on the bed so he was resting against the pillows Alex started sweeping his hands over Will's body, reacquainting himself with his flesh. Brushing his fingers softly over the newly puckered skin of Will's incision Alex leaned down and kissed it gently.

Will gasped a bit feeling Alex's lips against his skin. His scar didn't hurt but it felt sensitive. When Alex began laving over it with his tongue, Will couldn't help the moan rumbling from the back of his throat.

Alex smiled against Will's skin before using the tip of his tongue to trace towards the other scar on Will's skin from his gunshot all those years ago. Alex hated the reminder of coming so close to potentially losing Will before he even found him. There was something entirely sensual about bringing Will pleasure out of such a painful moment though.

Moving past the scaring Alex laid open mouth kisses along the rest of Will's abdomen and down into the junction of his hips and thighs. Lifting up Will's right leg Alex started mouthing across his inner thigh. The slight scruff on his face from the regrowth of his facial hair caused Will to pant and cry out.

"Alex," Will's hands twisted the sheets as his hips began to lift unconsciously.

Alex nosed along Will's pubic hair before his mouth caught against Will's cock. Licking up and down teasingly Alex slipped the tip into his mouth, letting his mouth water slightly before making his saliva slide down Will.

Alex brought one hand up to wrap around Will and began to twist and turn while his mouth suckled gently on his tip. He loved hearing the sounds coming out of Will's mouth. He loved feeling the thick hands holding onto his hair.

"God, Alex, please," Will whined only to cry out pitifully when Alex pulled off and away from him. "No, no, come back."

Alex wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and smiled at Will loving how wrecked he looked already. Grabbing the lube Alex made a show of pulling off the cap and squirting some into his hands, "I think you're going to like this much, much better, pet."

Kneeling in front of Will again Alex leaned across Will to kiss him lightly on the lips and grab a pillow. Putting the pillow under Will's hips, Alex spread Will's legs wide open. Bending down to kiss gently across Will's opening Alex couldn't resist from teasing Will a bit.

"Alex," Will hissed slightly when he felt his tongue nudging against him.

"Hmm?" Alex questioned before turning his head and biting Will's cheek.

Lifting himself up onto his knees again Alex rubbed a bit of lube around Will's hole before slowly pushing in a single finger. He knew he was going to have to be extra thorough with Will tonight since it had been so long. But with the enticing way Will was already clamping and squeezing around him Alex knew it would be worth it.

Working his hips into Alex's hand, Will made grabby hands wanting Alex closer.

Alex kissed Will again as he kept his finger working.

"So good," Will said against Alex's mouth, "But not what I want."

Before Alex could say anything Will sat up a bit and reached out for one of Alex's legs. Swinging Alex over him Will laid back against the pillows and adjusted himself until he was lined up with Alex's cock.

"Definitely love you," Alex praised when he felt Will's warm, wet mouth start working him over. "Fuck, I love you," Alex groaned as he leaned forward to get a better angle to use his fingers.

When Alex pushed another finger in him Will groaned deeply around Alex's cock. With their slight height difference Will had to angle his head a bit for Alex to be able to fuck properly into his mouth.

Dropping his head down to mouth against Will's cock again Alex and Will continued to suck each other until Alex was three fingers deep into Will.

Finally feeling like Will was ready Alex gently pulled out his fingers and sat up.

Will, sucking Alex into his throat one last time, released him with a loud choking sound.

"Fucking Christ, you make it so difficult not to just plow into you," Alex warned Will before kissing him wetly.

"Am I supposed to apologize for that?" Will smiled at Alex.

Alex shook his head, "I don't want you to ever apologize for anything."

Suddenly overcome with emotion Will yanked Alex until every part of their skin was touching. Kissing Alex's cheek over and over Will sniffled a bit even though he felt like an idiot. _'God of all the times to be emotional with Alex it has to be now?' _

To Alex's credit he didn't comment or question Will's sudden display. On some level he knew exactly what Will was going to need. All the talk about Salem and the past made a few of Will's old fears crop up. But Alex had helped make them go away once. He was confident he could do it again.

Nuzzling his nose against Will's, Alex whispered, "Are you ready?"

Will nodded his head enthusiastically, closed his eyes and let Alex adjust until they were lined up.

Alex pushed into Will slowly and held himself steady as he bracketed Will's head between his arms.

Will opened his eyes and inhaled a bit sharply when he caught the look in Alex's eyes. '_Oh_,' Will thought, '_That's the look everyone's always talking about_.'

Will lifted his hands and cupped Alex's cheeks. Will stared into Alex's eyes and started moving his hips against Alex's.

Keeping his eyes on Will's, Alex lowered himself until he was balanced on his forearms so he was chest to chest with Will. Automatically, Will wrapped his legs around Alex's waist and leaned his hips back to give Alex a better angle to work with.

Will whined a bit when Alex started rocking into him. With their eyes locked, and that look in Alex's eyes, Will felt tears brewing in his eyes again. All this talking about Salem and facing his fears made Will so emotive.

Alex kept Will's gaze and his pace steady as he started whispering to Will, "I love you."

Will's entire body began trembling as he rubbed his thumbs against Alex's cheeks.

"I love you," Alex assured Will, "And I'm not going anywhere. I'd never leave you or her. I'm going to spend the rest of my life making sure that you know that."

Will licked his lips and tasted his tears as they fell across his mouth. With each word Will began bucking back into Alex's thrusts. He felt every word Alex was saying sink into him, practically tattooing his skin.

"You're beautiful and sexy," Alex continued. His voice was getting gruffer and rougher with each push and pull of his hips. "And it doesn't matter what you ever did in the past or the future I'm going to be here."

"Do you believe me?" Alex questioned as he slid his arms underneath Will's back to pull him closer.

"Yes," Will nodded as he pulled Alex into a kiss. He could feel how sincere Alex was. He knew Alex would never lie to him, never make a promise he had no intention of keeping. Whenever Alex looked Will in his eyes Will knew without a doubt that he was being told the truth.

Alex practically melted into Will and thrust faster and harder. He wanted Will to know with every single fiber of his being that Alex wanted him completely.

Pulling away Alex muttered against Will's lips, "And you have the best ass I've ever fucked."

Will chuckled wetly, "Yeah?"

"I don't just keep you around for the hell of it," Alex informed him. "To get me to fall in love with anyone you'd have to be practically fucking perfect in every way."

Will opened his mouth to answer but a moan came out. Holding onto Alex's face harder Will pulled him into a kiss. Each time Alex tried to pull away to breathe Will held him tightly and refused to let him go.

Hitching his legs higher up around Alex Will managed to find the perfect angle to hit him just right as well as to rub his cock against Alex's stomach. The friction and heat of their bodies writhing together was driving Will crazy. With Alex's tongue twining with his and his words wrapping around Will like a second skin Will had never felt more content in his life.

Will cried into Alex's mouth as he came, body hitching forward and trembling. He coveted every single blissful moment and wanted nothing more than to stay there forever.

Alex loved watching Will's face when he was coming. He loved making Will make that face. He loved watching the way Will's eyes would flutter and his teeth would sink into his lower lips. He loved the rhythmic way Will would clench and unclench around him. He loved knowing that he was responsible for making Will feel something that good.

Just on the edge of oversensitivity, Will kept his legs locked tightly around Alex and encouraged him to finish inside of him. Will wanted to feel Alex inside of him completely. Wanted to do whatever it took to make Alex feel as loved and desired as Alex always made him feel.

Alex pressed his head against Will's collarbone and sharply thrust into Will. He was so close and so desperate.

"I love you," Will started saying, trying to emulate Alex's surprising sweet words. "I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with only you."

"Yeah?" Alex whispered against Will's skin.

"Yes," Will admitted. "That's all I want. You and me and our family, forever."

Redoubling his efforts Alex bit down harshly on Will's collarbone, forgetting that he didn't have to stay quiet.

Will ran his hands up and down Alex's back feeling his body twitch slightly. Will stayed perfectly still as he waited as Alex continued to ride out each wave of his orgasm.

Finally completely spent Alex stopped moving his hips before lifting up his head to kiss Will. Alex pulled back to take a breath and rested his head on Will's chest.

The two took a few minutes to catch their bearings.

Kissing against Will's skin one last time Alex got off the bed and said, "I'll be right back."

Quickly getting two wash cloths and wetting them with warm water Alex cleaned himself off first before walking back into the bedroom. Staring at the sight Will made spread out completely naked with his skin still sweaty and flushed Alex really wished he could take a picture of this moment.

Pushing aside the urge, Alex gently but thoroughly cleaned Will up. The two kissed and teased each other the entire time feeling like things were falling back into space.

"I am so fucking tired," Alex said as he tossed the wash cloth into the hamper and lay on the bed.

"You're getting old," Will informed Alex laughing loudly at the pout on Alex's face.

"You take that back," Alex insisted.

"I'm just saying," Will smiled widely, "You're almost 31 and I'm only 2-"

Alex covered Will's mouth with his own.

"I'll show you who's old," Alex murmured as he climbed back onto Will.

Before they could start anything however Will's phone went off.

Recognizing the familiar ringtone Alex tossed himself back on the bed, "You just had to say she could call and you'd pick her up."

Groaning Will rolled out of bed, "I'll get the kid. You change the sheets."

"Just so you know we're never going that long again, ever," Alex promised Will as he Will called his mother back. "I don't care if I'm 80 and need Viagra. You are touching my dick in some way at least once a day."

"I did not need to hear that," Sami said dryly over the phone.

"Sorry," Will gave Alex an amused look. "She wants me to come get her?"

"What do you think?" Sami asked sardonically.

"I'll be there in a few," Will told her before hanging up.

"If we go to Salem and it doesn't help anything I reserve the right to tell you I told you so," Alex pointed out as Will got dressed and ready to leave.

"I'm shocked," Will answered.

"Oh shove it and get the kid," Alex laughed, "I've got come stains to deal with."

As Will walked down the stairs he heard Alex calling, "Just so you know this means we're taking a plane!"

* * *

Author's note:

The past week on the show plus spoilers for next week definitely influenced this chapter.

Thank you for all the guest reviews I've been getting lately. I definitely appreciate the support.

Please let me know what you thought about this chapter.

Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

"You'll be fine," Alex rolled his eyes as he grabbed Will's hand and their bags and dragged him out of the waiting area and out to the tarmac.

"Daddy," Ari skipped beside them tightly holding Will's other hand, "You are so silly. It's just an airplane. It's not scary."

Will, looking distinctly green and sluggish, tried to shake Alex's hand off but his grip was too strong. He kept looking back at the safety of the airport wistfully.

"No running away," Alex said trying not to sound too amused. He had the three of them get into line to walk up the stairs onto the airplane. "Besides that juice I gave you before we left the house that you said tasted funny? I laced it with a melatonin."

"Alex," Will scolded slightly dragging his feet.

"It was for the good of us all," Alex informed Will, "I can't deal with you the way I want since the kid is here so I figured I'd just knock you out."

"OK, kid," Alex looked at Ari who was bouncing around wearing a My Little Pony backpack, "Front of the plane or the back?"

"Front," Ari decided after a moment.

"I wanna sit next to an emergency exit," Will insisted in a tight voice.

"Uh, sure," Alex agreed before sharing a look with Ari and shaking their heads.

Climbing up the stairs Will glared at the flight attendants when they were greeted.

"Have a good flight," one of them said.

"No," Will answered gruffly before letting Alex pull him towards some seats.

"You're ridiculous," Alex laughed.

Will assisted Alex in putting their carryon bags in the overhead storage before sitting down. Will was in the middle seat but when he looked over at Ari sitting by the window he had a strong urge to pick her up and run away.

Alex sat down and took Will's hand again, "Seriously you are driving me crazy and we haven't even taken off yet."

"I told you I don't like flying," Will reminded him over a big yawn.

"How else would we get there?" Alex wondered.

"We could have taken a train," Will said in a slightly panicked voice.

"First of all," Alex stated, "No. Second of all, quit trying to break my hand." Alex forced Will to loosen his grip. "And third of all," Alex waved down one of the flight attendants, "I need as much vodka as you can bring me."

* * *

As the pre-flight instructions started Will watched avidly trying to make sure he knew exactly what to do in case of an emergency.

"Alex," Ari leaned over Will, "Why is he being such a weirdo?"

"Daddy doesn't like heights," Alex reminded her. "It's like when we go to Disneyland and he won't go on the fun rides."

"He is so embarrassing," Ari announced before hiding her face with her hand trying to pretend she didn't know Will.

As the plane began to taxi down the runway Will started breathing heavily.

"Oh god, oh god," Will repeated, "I want off."

"It was your idea to go to that godforsaken town," Alex put his arm around Will. He thought Will was being dramatic but he knew Will was genuinely afraid. He wasn't so much of an asshole as to ostracize him when Will needed help.

"Don't remind me," Will muttered before closing his eyes tightly when the airplane started gaining speed.

"Stop freaking out," Alex said as pulled Will closer to him.

"I"m not freaking out," Will shouted.

"Rrrrriiiiiigggghht," Alex gave Will a look before saying, "I know you've flown before," Alex rubbed against Will's neck with his thumb, "What did you do then?"

"Ari was only a toddler," Will remembered when he flew to and from Los Angeles when he was still married. "I was more concerned about her than about myself."

"You should do that again," Ari dryly replied as she leaned her elbow on the arm rest and lazily watched her daddy. "I'm much more interesting than anything else."

"What he needs to do," Alex pulled out the vodka the flight attendant handed to him before the seat belt sign went up, "Is drink this and take a nap."

Will reluctantly unscrewed the cap and quickly chugged the small 50ml bottle lips puckering together unpleasantly.

"That's so gross," Will complained as he handed the empty bottle back to Alex.

"Shut up and close your eyes," Alex ordered forcing Will to rest his head on Alex's shoulder. "And think about what we'd be doing on this ride if we didn't have the kid."

* * *

Several hours later, thousands of feet into the air, Will was fast asleep against Alex. Ari and Alex were sharing a seat and the headphones to Ari's kindle. Alex wasn't one for Disney movies but he was out voted.

("I don't have to share this, you know?" Ari told him when he complained about her movie choice and pulled back her earbuds.)

As Ariel and Prince Eric waved at Ariel's family after their wedding, Ari asked Alex bluntly, "When are you and Daddy getting married?"

Choking a bit Alex spat out, "What?"

"That's what happens, isn't it?" Ari wondered. "You meet, you fall in love and you get married and live happily ever after."

"Uh," Alex blinked several times internally panicking. "Not all the time…"

"Why not?" Ari turned to face Alex getting a bit upset. "Don't you want to be with Daddy and me forever?"

"Yes," Alex knew he was losing control of the conversation. "But getting married doesn't mean-"

"You said," Ari poked him harshly in the collarbone with a bony little finger, "That you weren't leaving, ever. So that means you're getting married."

"Being married does not mean you're going to be together forever, kid," Alex flicked her finger away.

"Why not?" Ari demanded again wrinkling her nose in confusion.

"Because," Alex looked over towards Will wondering if this conversation would be worse than dealing with a freaked out Will or not, "Sometimes things don't work out the way you intend for them to."

"Why not?" Ari repeated again.

"Well," Alex had no idea what to say now. He didn't know how to explain these things, "Getting married doesn't guarantee you a happy ever after. Stuff happens. I love Daddy but that doesn't mean I have to marry him."

"Why not?" Ari was getting upset.

"Why do you care?" Alex turned it around on her.

"Because that's what happens," Ari informed him immediately, looking at Alex like he was slow.

"Not all the time," Alex told her.

"That's what happens in all my movies and books," Ari argued. "If you love someone, you marry them."

"Do you know how many times grandma has been married?" Alex questioned her. "A lot and she's not married now."

"But grandma said it took her several tries to find the right one," Ari defended, "Like when we buy shoes."

Alex pursed his lips, "That's no where near the same thing."

Ari lifted one tiny shoulder in a shrug, "Sure it is. It's like in my story you tell me. Daddy was with the mean knight and now he's with his prince. So you have to get married."

"Boy am I regretting that decision now," Alex said under his breath. Speaking a bit louder Alex asked, "What about your dad and before you left Salem?"

"What about it?" Ari titled her head to the side in confusion.

"About being married," Alex felt as lost as Ari looked.

"Daddy's never been married," Ari insisted firmly.

Lifting his eyebrows in surprise Alex felt his mouth open with no sounds coming out.

_'What the fuck do I even say to that?'_ Alex looked over at Will's sleeping figure again. _'Fuck, fuck, fuck.'_

Ari took a moment to think about everything before asking, "Why don't you want to marry Daddy?"

Alex winced, "It's not that I don't want to really."

"Then what is it?" Ari didn't get half the things Alex was telling her.

"I just don't see the point," Alex admitted, "A piece of paper isn't going to change how I feel or how much I want to be with him."

"But how do you know?" Ari pressed, "What if it made everything better?"

"There's no way it would make it better," Alex shook his head. "Why do we have to get married? I want to be with him and he wants to be with me."

"Because I want you to," Ari confessed with an angry pout. "I want you to marry my daddy and be together forever."

Will, shifting against Alex, blearily asked, "What?"

"Nothing," Alex assured Will in a soft voice, "Go back to sleep. We still have a half hour or so."

"Are you sure?" Will sat up and looked between Ari and Alex in concern.

Alex, rubbing against his sore shoulder from where Will was resting against it, "I'm sure. We're just talking. I'll wake you up when we get there."

Once Will closed his eyes again Ari caught Alex's gaze for a few moments before saying, "Can we watch another movie?"

* * *

Will, drowsy and barely awake, carefully put Ari's booster seat in the back of their rental car. While Alex dealt with their bags, Will was slowly waking up. Will didn't want to admit that Alex's booze and supplement cocktail worked for the plane ride. Mostly because he felt kind of ridiculous that he left Ari and Alex alone the whole trip.

_'And now I'm almost back in Salem,'_ Will thought as he closed Ari's door once she was settled. _'The place I swore I would never go back to. OK, you can do this, don't freak out.'_

"Alright," Alex said as he sat down in the drivers seat once Will came into the car, "On to Salem. Who is excited?"

"No one," Ari admitted loudly.

"Where is our first stop?" Alex looked towards Will briefly checking him over. _'Hopefully this trip ends up worth it.'_

Rubbing his eyes Will requested in a small voice, dreading this the closer they got to Salem, "Coffee?"

* * *

Alex drove down the recently repaved road leading into Salem.

Passing by a Welcome to Salem sign Alex remark, "That seemed ominous."

"Yeah," Will said in a quiet voice. Passing by trees and buildings he recognized Will's heart started beating faster against his chest. _'Deep breaths, Horton. Deep breaths.'_

_'There's no time to worry about you,'_ Will reminded himself. _'Just worry about Arianna. That's who this whole trip is for.'_

"Anything looking familiar, baby girl?" Will looked back at Ari seeing her face pressed against the window.

"No," Ari told him with a peculiar expression on her face, "Should I remember it?"

"I guess not," Will said before looking at Alex, "What about you?"

"It hasn't changed that much," Alex replied. "Although I spent most of my time trying not to get anyone else pregnant."

Will snorted and rolled his eyes, "Sleep with a lot of guys after that experience?"

"Huh?" Ari loudly asked.

"Never you mind," Alex dismissed Ari before seeing a recently constructed Starbucks on a corner and pulling in.

"Why were you sleeping with boys?" Ari questioned as she unbuckled and tried to open her own door.

Will, having put the child lock on the door, opened it for her before grabbing her My Little Pony backpack.

"Yeah, Alex," Will smiled brightly as he took Ari's hand, "Why were you sleeping with boys?"

Narrowing his eyes Alex replied, "You know I don't like sleeping alone."

"Sure," Will patted Alex's forearm as they walked inside.

* * *

With their drinks in hand the three decided to go on a walk.

"You sure you're warm enough?" Will questioned Ari frowning at her lightweight jacket.

"It's not even that cold out, Daddy," Ari sighed dramatically. "Plus I've got my hot chocolate."

"You know he's a pain in the butt worrier," Alex slipped his hand into Will's back pocket for emphasis.

"Sure, make fun of me," Will lightly complained. "I see how it is."

"Don't worry, Daddy," Ari squeezed his hand, "After me you're everyone's favorite."

"Excuse me?" Alex demanded wanting to distract both Will and Ari from being in Salem.

"It's true," Ari giggled. "It goes me, Daddy, and you're last."

"You take that back," Alex urged.

"Mmm," Ari pretended to think, "No."

"That's it," Alex handed his coffee over to Will as Will took Ari's away as well, "Come over here and say that to my face!"

Squealing in laughter Ari took off down the sidewalk with her backpack flopping against her loudly. Looking back over her shoulder to make sure Alex and Daddy were following after her Ari swung herself into the park and behind a bush hoping to scare Alex.

Slowly jogging over Alex stopped in front of a bush and loudly said, "Damn, I never will be able to find her now."

Ignoring the tiny giggles giving away her position, Alex told Will once he caught up, "We're finally child free. Let's go run off and ditch her."

"Hey," Ari shouted before putting her hand over her mouth.

"Got you," Alex declared before lifting Ari up and over his shoulder.

Will laughed while watching Ari complain and struggle before giving in and letting Alex carry her off.

_'This is such a difference from the last time we were in Salem,'_ Will thought. _'Ari's laughing and playing. She's not crying and screaming.'_

"So," Alex said getting Will's attention when he noticed he was beginning to drift, "Anything interesting happen in this park? My stories aren't appropriate."

"Well," Will linked his arm with Alex, "We used to play basketball that way," Will pointed in one direction. "That way is where the Fourth of July picnic always was," Will pointed in another direction. "Your brother was stabbed back there," Will used his thumb to gesture behind him.

Staring off into the distance Will found himself getting trapped in the past again. In the Starbucks he had seen some familiar faces even if he never knew their names. Will was so worried about being in Salem he never really thought about the little things like seeing people he recognized on the street.

"Busy park," Alex remarked loudly purposely startling Will. "I'll tell you about my park experiences sometime."

"I'll pass," Will smiled knowing Alex was trying to distract him from getting caught in his own head. "Wait, exactly who were these people you were with? Anyone I know?"

"It's a small town," Alex shrugged, almost dropping Ari in the process, "Probably."

"Did I go to the park?" Ari asked as she looked around the area.

"Of course," Will told her, "We would come here all the time. Any memories yet?"

Ari shook her head, "Not really. I remember never walking anywhere."

"Really?" Will looked up at her resting over Alex's shoulder.

Ari nodded, "Yep. You would carry me places and I would hold onto you and you always made me feel safe."

"Yeah?" Will smiled glad that the few memories she held were positive.

Ari smiled back before kicking Alex in the stomach, "Unlike someone else."

Grunting Alex paused and let Ari slip to the ground.

"Rude," Alex said.

"Will?" a voice questioned from behind them.

Turning around Will blinked a few times when he saw who it was, "Chad."

"Hey," Chad came closer and pulled Will into a hug, "What are you doing here?"

"Uh," Will patted Chad on the back, feeling slightly uncomfortable, "Just visiting."

Alex and Ari both stared at Chad with matching disapproving glares.

"I never really thought I'd see you around here again," Chad admitted once he pulled back. "But you look really good, great even."

Ari cleared her throat pointedly. _'Who is this idiot?'_

Chad's mouth dropped open when he finally looked away from Will and noticed Ari. "Holy crap," Chad said, "That cannot be Ari."

"Yes it can," Ari answered moodily. She didn't like being around strangers and she especially didn't like it when they touched her daddy or knew who she was.

"Wow," Chad dropped to his knees, completely ignoring the fact that his suit was getting covered in dirt, "Arianna, I'm Chad. Do you remember me?"

"No," Ari, seeing her daddy nodding his head, took Chad's offered hand and shook it before quickly pulling her hand back. "I don't remember anyone."

Chad frowned slightly before giving her another smile, "Well I used to hang around your daddies a lot."

"I only have one daddy," Ari told him firmly, "And one Alex."

Chad nodded, "That's what I meant."_ 'Well then,'_ Chad thought to himself.

Alex, already annoyed, went to pick Ari up at the 'daddies' comment. Only Will's strong, reassuring hand on his arm held him back.

"Actually," Chad sensed that he was encroaching on a dangerous topic, "I think I have something here." Chad pulled out his phone and searched through his pictures until he found what he was looking for, "Here."

Ari looked at the picture and bit her lip,"That's me?"

"Yep," Chad showed it to Will quickly, "I was babysitting you right in this park."

"I was adorable even back then," Ari decided.

Alex snorted, "That's debatable."

Chad, realizing he was being a bit rude, stood up and offered his hand to the man in front of him, "Hi, Chad DiMera."

Reluctantly Alex shook his hand, "Alex Kiriakis."

"Nice to meet you," Chad replied. "Uh, I'm guessing you've already had enough of explaining how that happened to other people."

"Yes," Alex answered bluntly.

"I see," Chad nodded, _'I probably shouldn't admit that I've been keeping tabs on Will the whole time he's been gone and already know all of this.'_

"How have you been?" Will asked politely instead, rubbing up and down of Alex's forearm soothingly.

"I've been well," Chad admitted with a smile. "Not as good as you," Chad joked.

Ari, still looking at the picture of her on this Chad persons phone, tried to concentrate very hard to strain her memory. _'Nothing,'_ she thought sadly.

"That's good to hear," Will nodded. He wasn't entirely sure what he should say to Chad. They weren't particularly close once Will and Ari left Salem. They were close once but over time Chad became closer to Sonny than to him. _'That's probably true about a lot of people.'_

Chad rubbed the back of his neck, "Will, I just wanted to say that I really missed you when you were gone. And I was sorry to see you go but it looks like it was for the best."

"It was," Will agreed with a smile. Lacing his fingers with Alex's, Will proudly stated, "I am much happier and healthier than I've ever been."

Alex smirked happily at that.

"Good," Chad nodded, "Now, I don't really know what your plans are while you're here but if you want some peace and quiet I've got a suggestion for where you can stay."

"I've got it taken care of," Alex assured Chad standing up straighter and looking him in the eye.

"OK," Chad lifted both of his eyebrows up, _'We'll see about that once Alex realizes what went down at the Salem Inn.'_

"Thank you, though," Will said, "It's really thoughtful."

Slowly taking his phone back from Ari, Chad handed it to Will, "Why don't you give me your number and if you change your mind you can let me know."

Alex shot Chad an annoyed glance. _'Does this guy ever give up?'_

Putting in his information Will handed the phone back to Chad, "I'm definitely glad the first person I bumped into back here was you."

"Me too," Chad agreed before saying, "I need to get going. It was really great seeing you. Maybe next time," Chad pointed at the Starbucks cups Will was still holding, "You can not go to my competition though."

"I can't make any promises," Will joked with a smile. He had forgotten how nice it was to be around Chad. '_I guess there are some people in Salem I missed more than I realized.'_

Giving Ari a fist bump, a nod to Alex and a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek for Will, Chad rushed off.

"I don't like him," Ari and Alex said at the same time.

"He's a nice guy," Will insisted, "And completely straight so stop looking at me like that."

"Sorry," Alex reluctantly replied. He still didn't quite understand why he got so possessive over Will when he was never like that before.

"I don't mind," Will reminded Alex. '_I probably like that side of you a little too much.'_

"What's straight mean?" Ari looked at Alex knowing he always gave her answers.

"It means he likes girls and not guys," Alex told her quickly.

Ari nodded, "But daddy likes boys and you like both, right?"

"Yep," Alex confirmed.

"OK," Ari shrugged, "That explains why you love me and daddy. And daddy, of course, loves me because I'm the best."

"Uh," Alex wasn't sure if he should clarify that or not. _'Eh, whatever.'_

Hearing his phone go off Will saw he had a text from Chad and one from his mom.

"Well, according to my mother's spies, my grandma and your dad are running a big meeting today," Will read over his message. "Should be ending in a little bit."

"Want to go get some payback?" Alex asked Ari.

"Always," Ari decided with a big smile.

* * *

"Thanks," Will smiled at the assistant who showed them to his grandma and Justin's office. He didn't think he had ever been here before and he had to say it was nice. It was much easier being in Salem in locations he didn't really know and around people that were not familiar. _'Unfortunately that's the exact opposite of what Ari likes.'_

"No problem," the man looked Will over a bit obviously before catching sight of Alex and his aggravated expression.

Glaring at the man Alex smirked, "Uh huh, thank you, get out."

Crossing her arms over her chest Ari humphed when the man left, "I don't like him."

"Me either," Alex agreed. "We should get him fired."

"What's fired mean?" Ari wondered immediately liking the sound of it.

"It means you can tell them to go away and never come back," Alex told her while lifting his eyebrows up and down obnoxiously.

"You can't fire someone for smiling at me," Will shook his head before wandering around the large office. "Besides you have nothing to worry about."

"You like when I act this way and you know it," Alex shot back. Glancing around the room Alex frowned, "Why the hell do they share an office? Do they literally spend all day together?"

"Looks like it," Will replied. He loved Alex, he really, really did, but he could not imagine spending every second of the day with him.

Ari, bored, sat down at one desk and opened her backpack. Pulling out a pad of paper and markers Ari began coloring a picture.

Looking at the pictures on Kate's desk Alex asked, "How many kids does your grandma have?"

"Uh," Will thought, "I'm not even that sure. Six?"

"How do you not know?" Alex gave Will a quizzical glance.

"To be fair she didn't know for a long time either," Will defended. "At least I know how many I have."

"It better only be one," Alex momentarily panicked at the idea of another one popping up out of no where.

"Well, I've only been with one girl like that," Will put his arm around Alex's waist, "So I'm pretty sure it's only the one."

Ari, looking up to make sure her daddy and Alex were still nearby, frowned when she realized what they were talking about.

"I don't want a brother or sister," Ari declared informatively.

"Thank god," Alex replied exhaling in relief.

"Really, baby girl?" Will questioned a bit surprised.

"Why would I want to share you?" Ari looked at her daddy in exasperation. Glancing at Alex, Ari continued, "It's like he doesn't know me at all."

Seeing that Will looked like he was going to say something about the topic, Alex immediately grabbed a picture off Kate's desk, "Is this you?"

Will, closing his mouth, looked at the picture recognizing himself from high school.

"As embarrassing as it is," Will painfully smiled, "Yes, that's me."

"Aw," Alex pouted, "Look how cute you were."

"Oh shut up," Will smacked Alex lightly on the chest. "If you saw me back then you wouldn't even take a second look."

"I would have," Alex insisted in a low voice so the kid wouldn't hear, "Look how innocent you seem? I would have thoroughly enjoyed wrecking that."

Feeling his cheeks warming up Will took a step away from Alex, "You stop talking right now."

"I know what we're roleplaying the next time we're alone," Alex teased.

"Who's playing?" Ari demanded not wanting to be left out.

"Nevermind," Will put the picture back before moving over to Justin's desk. Ignoring the picture of Sonny, Joey and Vic, Will picked up a photo he recognized, "And look at what we have here."

Alex crossed his arms as he looked over the photo. "I didn't know you gave him that," Alex admitted finally.

"Well I noticed how much he enjoyed it," Will shrugged, "And here it is on his desk."

Seeing the familiar picture of himself staring at Will and Ari's smiling faces, Alex shrugged, "It's not that exciting." _'Although I guess it's nice.'_

"Uh huh," Will rolled his eyes while putting the frame back.

Knocking quickly on the door, the assistant from before poked his head in the door, "The meeting is over and they're on their way."

"Excellent," Alex clapped his hands together once.

"You," Ari pointed at the guy, "I'm in charge now and if you don't bring me a hot chocolate I'm gonna fire you."

* * *

"That was tedious," Kate handed over a few papers to Vic as she saw her assistant loudly exclaim in relief when someone brought him a hot cup and he rushed it into her office.

"When isn't it?" Justin sighed as he adjusted his tie.

"What is this?" Kate stopped her assistant just outside her office when he reappeared without the cup.

"Sorry, Ms. Roberts," the man said, "But our new boss is really demanding."

"New boss?" Kate asked suspiciously.

"What is this all about?" Justin demanded. _'If this is Victor interfering once again I swear to god,'_ Justin angrily thought.

"All I know is she's scary, threatening to fire everyone and brought a protective detail," the guy lifted his hands up innocently before getting back to work.

Vic and Joey exchanged a look before following after their father and Kate towards the massive office.

Justin, attempting to open the door, frowned when he found it locked.

"Hmm," Joey stroked his chin before walking over and knocking.

"Go away," a deep, muffled voice called from inside.

"Uh oh," Joey said before stepping aside.

"What the hell is this?" Kate hissed before pushing Justin aside and trying the door herself. Stumbling through the door when it swung open, Kate geared herself up for an argument when she saw who was sitting at her desk.

Ari, sitting at Kate's desk, slammed the phone down that she was playing with before folding her hands together and saying, "You're all fired."

Taking a sip of her fresh hot chocolate Ari smiled widely at everyone unable to keep up the serious act for long.

"Whaaaa?" Joey grunted out before realizing who was actually talking. "You scared the crap out of me, kid."

Vic looked around the office before he turned to the side and saw Alex and Will leaning against a bookcase.

Justin, features switching from aggravated to shocked, took a moment before smiling widely, "Ari!"

Finally pleased that someone was properly acknowledging her, Ari pushed her hot chocolate to the side so she could scramble over the desk and jump into Justin's open arms.

"Hi, Grandpa!" Ari greeted with a wide smile as soon as he caught her. "I'm the boss now, you have to listen to me."

"I'm pretty sure you were the boss already," Justin gave her a quick kiss. Handing Ari over to Kate, Justin turned to Alex and Will, "What are you guys doing here?"

"Yeah," Vic added, "I never thought we'd ever see you here."

Alex, slipping his arm around Will's waist, answered, "It's pretty complicated."

Joey, stealing Ari from Kate, wiggled his way in between Will and Alex, "Well, brothers, this is the best you're-not-actually-fired firing I've ever had."

"No," Ari nodded seriously, "You're still fired."

"Hey," Joey pouted. "I thought I was the favorite."

Vic, picking up Ari and putting her on the ground, told Joey, "You think that about everyone."

Justin rolled his eyes before putting a few things on his desk, "Why don't we all just finish everything up and get out of here?"

"Come on, Ari, you can go boss around another floor," Vic held her hand as he started guiding her out the door.

"Daddy, Alex," Ari turned back to look at Will and Alex in a panicked state, "Come with me!"

* * *

"Wow," Ari gazed around Vic's office, "Your work is boring."

Vic chuckled, "Yeah, it really is."

Seeing someone wander by Vic's office Ari smiled before yelling, "You're fired!"

Seeing the startled look on the woman's face Vic lifted his hand, "You heard the princess."

"I like this part of work," Ari decided. "Daddy, can I fire people at your work?"

"Probably not," Will told her, "But you can fire Alex anytime you want."

Alex, hand in Will's back pocket, squeezed him tightly, "I'll remember that."

"So," Vic, putting away some files and papers, "You going to tell me exactly why you're here?"

Ari, seeing a fancy looking pen, sat at the desk before drawing on whatever paper she found first.

"I need that," Vic started to say before giving up, "Oh whatever."

Moving closer to Vic so the kid wouldn't overhear, Alex informed him, "Just came to battle some old demons."

Glancing at Will, seeing him with an awkward smile on his face, Vic nodded, "I see."

"I'm hopeful that this is going to help both of us," Will added._ 'I'm just glad the both of us have been able to keep it together so far. But it's still early.'_

Hearing an obnoxious knock, no one was surprised when Joey paraded into the room.

"I'm ready, let's go get the old people," Joey declared.

* * *

Getting off the elevator at Justin and Kate's floor everyone walked back towards their office. Ari, asking Vic rapid fire questions, paused when she saw two strange men talking to her grandma and grandpa.

Alex and Will shared a glance before they both rolled their eyes a bit.

"Hey," one of the guys called, "If it isn't my cousin and my nephew."

"Man this family is screwed up," Joey said under his breath.

"Brady," Will greeted with a small smile while giving Paul a perfunctory nod of his head. "Um, how are you?"

"Good, good," Brady nodded at Will, "Surprised to see you here actually." Flicking his eyes towards Alex, he continued, "Together, really."

"I somehow doubt that," Alex blankly replied. Shaking Brady's hand quickly Alex glanced behind Brady to see Paul practically twiddling his thumbs.

"Well," Brady admitted, "I can't say it's exactly a secret at the mansion anymore but it's still a bit weird to think about."

Will winced slightly when Alex's grip on his ass increased.

"Sorry," Alex grumbled towards Will.

Ari, not liking her daddy and her Alex talking to strangers, moved to stand in front of them.

"There is no way this is Arianna Grace," Brady gasped. "She's a giant."

"How dare you?" Ari crossed her arms in annoyance, "I am not a giant."

"Sorry," Brady laughed, patting her on the head, "I just meant the last time I saw you, you were a tiny little thing. I'm your uncle Brady."

Glaring at the man for messing up her hair Ari turned and gave Alex an exasperated look.

"So, Alex," Brady gave him a slight smile, "How is the, uh, nude photography business?"

"Just fine," Alex licked over his front teeth before asking in a polite tone, "How is the whole letting your grandfather take care of you even though you're a grown ass man business?"

Vic tried to cover a snort with a cough before quickly saying, "You do know that pretty much your entire family works in the same business, right?"

"Everyone that hasn't been handed a job and has to actually work to succeed raise your hand," Alex entwined his hand with Will's and lifted them in the air.

Ari giggled, gathering that Alex was making fun of people.

"I thought we were leaving," Alex loudly called to his father once he saw the aggravated looks on everyone's faces._ 'Another job well done by me.'_

"We are," Justin agreed shaking his head at Alex. "Brady, Paul, we'll see you on Monday."

Ari, eyes drifting towards who she assumed to be Paul, furrowed her brows as she stared at him.

Will, keeping a close eye on his daughter, took her hand, "You OK?"

"Yeah," Ari turned away from Paul. Tugging on her daddy's hand she waited for him to bend over so she could whisper, "I don't like him."

"You don't even know him," Will reminded her, "Now come on, it's time to go."

Alex, overhearing the whispered conversation, smiled widely, unsettling Joey a bit.

"What's with that look?" Joey wondered.

"I know the next person she's firing," Alex responded happily.

"Now," Kate siddled over to Will, "There's a new restaurant I think we should all go to."

"OK," Will nodded, _'At least there's no chance of me having an adverse reaction in a new location.'_

Brady, moving back to stand next to his brother, clapped him on the shoulder, "Are you going to tell Sonny about this?"

"I don't know," Paul admitted as he rubbed his lips together. He couldn't get the angry look Arianna had in her eyes while she was looking at him out of his head.

"Well he should probably hear it from you," Brady pointed out. With a long-suffering sigh Brady explained, "Just like I'm going to have to tell my grandfather."

* * *

Full and content, everyone was gathering their coats and things once their dinner was over.

Alex, holding Ari's backpack while she meticulously arranged her markers and papers. Alex was pleased that Will and Ari both seemed to be doing well all things considering. Alex knew that Kate had picked this location because it didn't have any lingering memories for Will or for Ari.

"Don't forget this," Alex said as he picked up a picture she had colored. Looking it over quickly he frowned, eyebrows drawing together, once he recognized what it was.

'_Well, fuck,_' he thought as he realized Ari had depicted a wedding.

Seeing that Alex was looking at her picture Ari explained, "That's me in my new dress I'm gonna wear when you marry daddy."

"Uh," was all Alex could get out before Ari hopped off her chair and took off with her backpack to stand next to Will.

Pocketing the picture Alex tried not to think too much about how detailed the drawing had been.

"Who wants to go out for ice cream?" Joey questioned with an exaggerated grin towards Ari. Seeing her happy expression Joey thought,_ 'Aha! I'll be the favorite now.'_

* * *

Sitting down on the couch in the town square Ari happily licked her ice cream as she reclined with her head in Alex's lap and her feet in Justin's lap while telling her daddy, "I don't remember this either. I don't remember anything."

"That's OK," Will reassured her from Alex's other side. "But you're having fun though, right? I know you like everyone here."

"Yep," Ari rolled over onto her stomach, smearing ice cream everywhere, "I like being with my family. But I don't know if I like being here."

"You wanna know a secret?" Will asked her moving his face in closer. "Daddy doesn't like it either."

"Yeah?" Ari smiled. She liked it when her and daddy agreed on things.

"I like being at home much better," Will promised her.

"Good," Ari decided leaning forward and giving Will a sticky, cold kiss.

"You sure you're warm enough?" Will double checked, "We can move closer to the fireplace."

"I'm nice and warm," Ari gave him a sweet smile before turning to look at Alex, "I want your jacket."

"Then I'm gonna be cold," Alex complained despite immediately taking off his coat and putting it over the kid like a blanket.

"Thank you," Ari replied batting her lashes a few times.

Justin, observing them the entire time while Kate was talking with Vic and Joey, shook his head, "Sometimes it feels like I woke up in the Twilight Zone."

Alex, who was casually running his fingers through Ari's hair, immediately stilled his hand and said, "Oh?"

"Yes," Justin pointedly looked at Alex's hand. "This is just about the opposite of everything I'd ever expect out of you."

"Well it wasn't what I pictured either," Alex stated with a shrug, hoping to sound nonchalant, "But I'm happy where I am."

"You better say that," Will teased slightly.

Alex put his arm around Will and pulled him closer, "Pretty sure the both of you have your claws in me." Smirking slightly Alex said, "Hers across my eyes and yours down my back."

"Oh shut up," Will buried his face against Alex's shoulder so he wouldn't have to look at Justin.

Lifting his face up again Will, tuning out Alex and Justin's conversation, looked around the square. _'I have spent more time in this place than just about anywhere else,'_ Will recalled.

_'I just never really thought that I'd be here with him,'_ Will angled his face to stare at Alex. Something about being in Salem with Alex made Will feel something strange inside his chest. _'Being in Salem makes me feel strange.'_

Alex, feeling Will's eyes on him, glanced at him out of his peripherals. Seeing the lost look on Will's face Alex pulled him even closer against him.

With Ari curled up on Alex's lap and Alex's warm, comforting arm around him Will tried to relax. But a part of him couldn't help thinking,_ 'If I was still with Sonny would this be happening? Would his brother's want to be a part of Ari's life? Would Justin be with my grandma? Would Ari and I be as happy as we are with Alex? And god, what about Alex? Would he still be alone or would his family eventually realized what they were missing out on by being out of his life?'_

Justin, despite enjoying his conversation with Alex, found his eyes drifting from Alex to Will. He didn't know exactly why they all decided to come to Salem but Justin could see it plainly written across Will's face that he was having a hard time with it. Just like Justin noticed Will couldn't stop looking at Alex._ 'I never noticed Will looks at Alex in the exact same way Alex looks at Will.'_

"Oh, sweetheart," Kate looked over and saw the mess Ari had made of her face. Standing up Kate offered her hand to Ari, "Come on, I'll take you to the restroom over there," Kate pointed to a small alcove behind them, "And wash your face."

"Um," Ari caught Will and Alex's eyes. She loved her grandma but she was not ready to leave her daddy or Alex's side.

"It's OK," Will assured her. "I can still see you," Will promised.

Justin pushed Ari's feet off of him, "I better go too. We all know grandma needs assistance in these things."

Shakily taking one hand from her grandma and grandpa Ari allowed them to lead her to the restroom turning her head to make sure her daddy and Alex were watching.

"So," Joey scooted over to take his father's spot. "That's a little new."

"She's been like that since I had surgery," Will informed Joey and Vic. "That's kind of the reason we're here."

"I don't think I'm following," Vic shook his head.

Alex rolled his eyes, "The kid's stupid therapist seems to think that if they were both here they could move on from all the bad shit and go skipping off into the sunset."

Giving Alex an annoyed look Will added, "She just thinks that if I can show Ari there's nothing to be afraid of she might let go of some of her anxiety about us leaving her behind. This is basically what she was like right before we left Salem and right after."

"OK," Vic could understand that. _'But I also understand why Alex hates it.'_

"And are you?" Joey, sounding uncharacteristically concerned, "Showing her that there's nothing to be afraid of? I just mean that I care about the both of you and don't want any of you doing something that's going to upset you."

Will smiled warmly, he sincerely enjoyed knowing that at least some of Alex's family sincerely cared about Ari, _'And me.'_

"Well," Will admitted, "It's not exactly easy being here," Will looked around the square again. "But it hasn't been too horrible."

"Have you seen or talked to that many people?" Vic questioned.

"Not really," Will divulged, "Just you guys, Brady and Chad."

_'I'd say Paul but he didn't really say anything so,'_ Will internally shrugged.

"I see," Vic nodded. "Well, I guess as long as you have Alex around to help the two of you out you'll probably be fine in the end."

"Me?" Alex asked. "What help am I going to be?"

"Oh, big brother," Joey patted his arm before giving Will a sympathetic look, "I'm so sorry you're stuck with this idiot."

"What?" Alex demanded.

"Don't even try with us," Vic laughed openly, "We all know how you are with the two of them."

"Yeah," Joey agreed, "Give you those two blonde haired, blue eyed Hortons and you turn into a protective mama bear."

"What?" Alex blinked a few times having a hard time processing that statement.

"It's true," Will mock whispered, "You should see the way he would help me change my bandage."

Alex, feeling uncomfortable, sucked his bottom lip into his mouth.

"You know we tease because we love," Joey leaned his head on Alex's shoulder and stared at him adoringly.

"Off," Alex shrugged Joey away.

"But speaking of your bandages," Vic said while looking at Will, "How has your recovery been?"

"Easy," Will confessed. "It was really noninvasive so I just had to worry about the stitches and keeping my health up."

"Can we see your scar?" Joey asked sounding almost exactly like Johnny did.

"Sure," Will chuckled before unzipping his jacket and lifting up his shirt.

"Cool," Joey said sounding delighted. Reaching out to touch the scar tissue he wasn't even surprised when Alex slapped his hand away. "You need to learn to share with your brothers," Joey informed Alex teasingly.

"Pretty sure he shared with one," Vic said before putting his hand over his mouth. Giving Will and Alex an apologetic look he winced, "Sorry, I really didn't mean it like that."

"It's not exactly a secret," Will shrugged even though he felt a little awkward now.

Seeing the way Will's shoulders were hunching in Vic shook his head, "I really didn't mean to sound like an ass. I promise I don't think anything bad about you."

"Anymore," Will commented with a small smile. "And it's fine. It's not the worst thing I've ever heard."

"Just let him grovel," Alex insisted, "It's much more amusing."

"Oh shut it," Vic rolled his eyes knowing that was Alex's own way of saying to drop it.

"But speaking of that," Joey figured they might as well talk about it now, "I was going through some stuff the other day and saw the article you wrote about Paul. It was really good."

Will gave him a blank look, "Thanks, I guess."

"No," Vic added, "It really was."

"It's just the knowing the details that lead up to the article that make it weird, right?" Will asked feeling a mix of exasperation and amusement.

"...Yeah," Joey agreed after a moment. "I mean, after I read it, it was really hard to look at Paul and no imagine you two rolling around."

Alex, lips curling, was ready to snarl something at his idiot brother when Will put a comforting hand on his chest.

"Well," Will licked his lips, "I don't really know how to respond to that."

"Sorry," Joey shrugged, "It's just a weird situation." Moving away from Alex so he wouldn't be hit, Joey asked, "How do you even sleep with someone that you're interviewing anyway?"

Will, chuckling when Alex made a fist and started wildly swinging trying to reach Joey, said, "Long hours in a hotel room? Honestly I have no idea and I don't really want to think about it."

Alex, having already discussed this several times with Will over the course of their relationship, told his brothers, "Enough about this."

"OK, OK," Joey said before adding, "I'm sure Alex would love a tour of the Salem Inn later. It can be on the Will Horton tour of important moments."

Will rolled his eyes fondly. He knew Joey was only joking around.

"What about the Salem Inn?" Alex barked.

"That's where I slept with Paul," Will said casually, "And technically where I spent my honeymoon."

Seeing the way Alex's eyes were getting bigger and bigger Vic almost laughed, "Alex, didn't you say earlier you made the reservations for where you were staying?"

"Wait, what?" Alex rounded on Will and glared.

"I didn't know that was where you made the reservations," Will chuckled a bit. He recognized the familiar glint in Alex's eyes. He knew it probably wasn't very healthy to enjoy how jealous Alex got but Will couldn't help it.

"There is no way in hell I am staying in the same place you went on your fucking honeymoon," Alex hissed. "Or where you fucked the baseball bicycle."

"Sorry," Will moved closer to Alex and slipped his hands up and down Alex's chest. Kissing Alex warmly on the lips Will said, "We can find somewhere else to stay."

Face stony and jaw set Alex was unmoved, "You know I don't like thinking about you with either of them, especially while we're here."

"And you don't have to," Will assured him, linking his hands together behind Alex's neck, "Being here or being there, doesn't change the way I feel about you."

"Which is what?" Alex demanded a bit harsher than he intended.

"That I want to be with you," Will easily admitted, "Always."

"Forever?" Alex pressed feeling a bit unnaturally needy.

"Of course," Will nodded. "What's this about?"

Feeling the corners from Ari's drawing pressing against his thigh in his pocket Alex pressed his lips together, "It's nothing. I just don't like being here."

"Well, truthfully," Will confessed, "Either do I. Actually if we would have gone to the Salem Inn I probably would have made you find another place to stay anyway."

Angling his face Alex kissed Will gently before pulling away to say, "I am going to enjoy cancelling this reservation."

"Oh," Will said, "While you do that maybe I should call Chad and take him up on his offer."

"We are not staying with him if that's the offer," Alex said decisively as they both pulled out their phones.

Dialing the number Chad sent him Will waited for him to respond, "Hi, Chad, it's Will."

"I had a feeling you were going to call," Chad casually said.

"OK," Will felt a bit confused about that, "Um, do you think we can talk about your offer from earlier?"

"Of course," Chad acknowledged. "Why don't you just meet me here in about an hour? I'll text you the information."

"Right," Will wrinkled his nose in confusion. _'I'm pretty sure I remember where the mansion is.'_

"Great, see you then," Chad hung up with a smile on his face.

"That was weird," Will said once he hung up. "But we've got somewhere to stay."

"Which is where?" Alex demanded once he put his phone away too.

"I don't know yet," Will gave Alex a small, scared smile.

"We'll be fine either way," Alex told Will before touching his cheek slightly and pulling him into another kiss.

"How does this always happen to me around them?" Joey turned to look at Vic.

"I have no idea," Vic said turning away from Will and Alex when they started kissing again. "Maybe it's a sign you need a girlfriend."

* * *

Meanwhile in the single unisex public restroom Ari let Kate and Justin help her wash her face.

"There we go," Kate finished getting all the chocolate off of Ari. "Back to being gorgeous."

"You know," Justin looked over Ari, "You do have all of your daddy and mommy's best features."

Smiling proudly Ari said, "Yep."

Standing still for a moment Ari starting squirming, "I need to potty."

Moving out of the way, letting Ari pull down her leggings and lift up her skirt, Justin and Kate tried not to look at Ari while she sat on the toilet and did her business.

"I didn't expect our Friday night to be like this," Justin confessed giving Kate a rueful smile.

"Definitely not," Kate agreed before hearing the toilet flush.

"All done," Ari proclaimed as she pulled up her panties and leggings and tried to deal with her fluffy skirt.

Kate, smiling slightly before pulling the back of Ari's skirt out of her leggings, helped her reach the sink and wash her hands.

"So," Justin asked Ari, "How have you been princess?"

"Good," Ari told him, "Daddy and Alex said I've been weird but I don't think so. I just love them and don't want them to go. Do you think they're still outside?"

"Of course they are," Justin knew about Ari's behavior. Alex, Will and even Sami had explained it to him. Now that he was thinking about it, it didn't exactly take a genius to figure out why Will suddenly decided to bring her to Salem. "You know they'd never leave you."

_'And soon enough they never will,'_ Ari thought before getting a paper towel and drying her hands.

"What's that look for?" Kate asked Ari suspiciously. She'd seen that look on Sami and Will's face way too often over the course of her lifetime.

Justin caught Kate's eyes and they both turned to face Ari.

Ari gave them both a sickly sweet smile, "I'm going to get Alex marry my daddy."

Justin and Kate both raised their eyebrows in alarm.

"Excuse me?" Justin questioned definitely needing that repeated.

"I'm convincing Alex to marry my daddy," Ari nodded and smiled with a slight hint of a smirk behind it.

"And are you sure your dad and Alex want to do that?" Kate wondered feeling a bit concerned.

"Alex does," Ari replied confidently.

"You sure about that?" Justin was skeptical.

"He practically told me," Ari informed them. "They'll get married and me together forever and I'll be the happiest girl ever."

Ready to go back to her daddy and Alex, Ari lifted her arms up wanting her grandpa to carry her.

* * *

"Can you two detach?" Joey asked as he reached forward to flick Alex in the ear.

"Do you mind?" Alex hissed at his brother.

"Alex?" a feminine voice questioned.

"Will?" a deeper voice echoed.

Turning to face the voices Will and Alex both sighed when they saw Adrienne and Lucas.

_'Why do they always show up when no one wants them to?'_ Alex wondered keeping his arm firmly locked around Will.

"Dad, Adrienne," Will finally said, wiping his wet mouth with the back of his hand, "Um, hi."

"Um, hi?" Lucas shook his head, "What are you doing here? And why didn't you call me?"

"I don't know," Will responded honestly. "I just, um, wasn't really sure if we were going to be here or not."

_'And I wasn't sure if seeing you would be a good thing or not,'_ Will thought.

"When did you get here?" Adrienne really wanted to let go of Lucas' hand and pull Alex into her arms. _'But I know he would hate that.'_

"Just a few hours ago," Alex explained with a shrug. He felt a little unsettled under Adrienne's intense stare.

"What's happening? Why are you here?" Lucas couldn't even make sense of Will being in Salem.

Ever since Will's accident and subsequent surgery Lucas had made more of an effort to get in contact with Will,_ 'But it still must not be enough. He came all the way to Salem and I didn't even know about it.'_

"Just tying up some loose ends," Will said not wanting to get into that with his dad or Adrienne. The two had been much better about being involved but they certainly weren't as close to Will and Alex as Kate and Justin were._ 'For all their best efforts Dad and Adrienne just can't seem to figure out how to be there for us, really there.' _

Unfortunately for Lucas and Adrienne the two had each decided to make a better effort with their children but not with their partner.

"Where's Ar-?" Adrienne started to say before seeing Justin and Kate coming out of the restroom with Ari holding on tightly to Justin. _'Oh,'_ Adrienne looked away from the sight of Justin and Kate. She still had yet to accept that partnership.

"Daddy," Ari exclaimed happily when she saw him again but did not let go of her grandpa.

"You're looking much cleaner," Will praised smiling slightly seeing Ari curled up against Justin as they sat back down.

"All clean," Ari yawned, eyes drooping, head resting against her grandpa's chest.

Lucas felt something inside of him constrict at the sight of his granddaughter in Justin Kiriakis' arms. Back when Will and Sonny were together Lucas wouldn't have cared about this at all but now that everything had changed in their lives it bothered him entirely.

_'How is Ari so close to him? Adrienne explained how rough Alex and Justin's relationship was. Have they really gotten so close after Alex got together with Will? How? How did this even happen?'_ Lucas thought.

Kate, sitting down next to Justin, pushed Ari's hair back from her face, "Looks like someone is getting pretty tired."

"We should probably get going," Alex said wanting to get away from everyone. He could handle being around most of his brothers and his dad and Kate. _'But Adrienne and Lucas just make things weird.'_

"Yeah," Will agreed. Leaning over Alex to talk to Ari, Will said, "Baby girl, you ready to tell everyone goodnight?"

"No," Ari complained, holding on tighter to Justin's shirt. "Not ready."

"We can see them again tomorrow," Will promised. "But you are about to fall asleep and we have a big day tomorrow. Do you remember what we're going to do?"

"See mommy," Ari smiled remembering. Ari hugged Justin tightly, "See you tomorrow, Gampa," yawning around the word. "Love you," she sloppily kissed his cheek before moving over to Kate.

"Love you, Gamma," Ari said hugging Kate tightly, words slurring slightly.

Joey cleared his throat, "Where is my hug?"

Ari, easily hugging Joey and then Vic, dragged her feet over to Alex and slumped against him, "Carry?"

Alex heaved her up and wrapped his jacket she discarded earlier around her shoulders.

Seeing Adrienne and Lucas standing in front of her Ari furrowed her brows before waving lazily and saying, "Bye, bye."

Seeing the affronted looks on his dad and Adrienne's faces Will quickly said to everyone, "We'll let you know when we get back from seeing Gabi."

"OK," Kate tried not to smile too smugly as Justin put his hand on her lower back.

"Just let us know," Vic agreed happily. Despite the occasional setbacks he really did enjoy seeing Alex with Will and Ari.

Addressing his dad Will said, "I'll send you a message tomorrow too."

"Good," Lucas stated quietly. "I hope we can see you all again before you leave."

"See you," Alex said already feeling Ari becoming a dead weight in his arms. _'Almost asleep already.'_

"Come on," Will took Alex's hand, "We need to find our way back to the restaurant and find out where Chad is sticking us."

"Alright," Alex agreed as they walked off, "But no going through the creepy park."

* * *

"You got her?" Alex questioned Will as he watched him get Ari out of the car.

"Yep," Will smiled at him, "You get the bags."

Getting everything out of the car and slinging the My Little Pony backpack over his shoulder Alex looked up at the building in front of them, "So, this wasn't exactly what I was expecting."

"Me either," Will confessed as they walked toward the lobby of the DiMera Towers luxury apartments.

"Didn't you say EJ had you living here once?" Alex remembered as they walked inside and over to the concierge desk.

"Yep," Will confirmed, "When I was working as his intern when he was running for mayor."

"Which was when he was married to someone that's not your mom but after they already had Johnny and Sydney?" Alex was determined to keep up with the entire history of Will and their family.

"Right," Will was always impressed when Alex recalled things like that.

Talking to the man at the front desk briefly Will turned around when he heard the elevator ding with Chad walking out of it.

"Hey," Chad greeted. Waiting for the man at the desk to hand over a set of keys to Will and Alex, Chad gestured for them to follow him back into the elevator, "I've got everything all taken care of."

"That seemed to happen really fast," Will remarked a bit suspiciously as he adjusted Ari in his arms.

"Well," Chad figured he should be honest. "I kind of already knew that you were coming and figured you wouldn't want to deal with anyone bothering you. I'd say here you're pretty safe. No one is going to know you're here so they can't bother you."

"How did you know we were coming?" Alex demanded suspiciously. "We didn't tell anyone."

"Sami has her spies and I have mine," Chad answered vaguely. With his hands in his pockets Chad shrugged, "I know I wasn't entirely the greatest friend in the world to you before you left," Chad acknowledged, "But I've been doing my best to make sure you and Ari are OK."

"Which means what?" Will wondered not sure if he should be worried or appreciative.

"Nothing," Chad said, "It wasn't really that hard either, so quit looking at me like that," Chad told Alex, "I was in charge of Sonnix you know. Whenever you were hired for a new job they called me for a reference. It wasn't that hard to get them to tell me some details about their company."

"Oh, right," Will flushed with embarrassment. _'I can't believe I forgot about that.'_

"Hence how I know you're doing fine," Chad told them once the elevator finally stopped. "Now, don't freak out about how high up we are. I already fixed it so the curtains cover the windows. You're still afraid of heights aren't you?"

"Yeah," Will nodded a bit surprised Chad remembered at all.

"Here," Chad unlocked the door to the apartment, "I was staying here for a while before I moved back into the mansion. But I kept it around. If you ever feel like coming back for another visit you can stay here."

"Thanks," Alex replied as he followed Chad inside. Looking the place over he had to admit he was impressed. _'Well, it's definitely going to be private. And I don't have to worry about who Will boned in it.'_

Will, recognizing the familiar layout, immediately went to lay Ari down in the bedroom. Taking off her shoes and jacket carefully Will opened up the blankets and waited for Ari to roll over to the middle of the bed. Making sure she was alright Will walked back over to Alex and Chad.

"So," Chad started to say as soon as Will left the room. "You're the guy in Will's life now."

"Yes," Alex crossed his arms as soon as he dropped the bags to the floor. "Got a problem with that?"

Chad looked Alex over before saying, "No. Will and Ari seem happy so that's all that matters."

"Exactly," Alex agreed.

"Just so you know," Chad informed Alex, "Your brother is supposed to be back in Salem tomorrow."

"Why would I care about that?" it took all of Alex's effort to not cringe.

Lifting one eyebrow Chad shook his head, "Really? I heard all about the awkward wedding in Vegas. You don't think it's going to be even worse seeing each other in Salem?"

Snorting a bit Alex thought about it. '_Do I really want to run into Sonny while Will and the kid try to figure out how to deal with what happened the last time they were here?'_

"Exactly," Chad insisted. "But don't worry about it. I've got it covered?" Seeing Alex's inquisitive glance Chad continued, "I plan on putting him to work at the club, make him deal with everything there as punishment for ditching me for months."

"Who are you punishing?" Will asked as he came back into the room.

"Sonny," Chad answered honestly. "He's supposed to be back tomorrow."

"Oh," Will picked up Ari's backpack and matching carryon suitcase. "Well hopefully you aren't too hard on him."

"Isn't it going to be weird for you?" Chad was worried about Will's reaction.

Will shrugged a bit, "I expected it to be if we do see him or anyone else. As long as he doesn't set Ari off I really don't care."

"Really?" Chad double checked.

"I already said everything I needed to say the last time I saw him," Will confessed. "Besides that's kind of the point of being here. Getting over everything and officially saying goodbye."

"Right," Chad nodded. "I guess you and Alex are going to want to be alone. Hopefully you can let me know when a good time would be to see you again. I don't want to go the rest of my life without seeing you."

"That sounds nice," Will admitted to Chad. Putting the suitcases on the couch Will went back to stand by Alex and taking his hand, "And thanks for doing all of this Chad. You really didn't have to."

"It's no problem," Chad promised, "If there's anything you need or people you need taken care of just let me know."

Hearing a tiny, distraught voice coming from the bedroom Will told Chad goodbye one last time and hurried into the bedroom.

Alex, leading Chad to the door, took a deep breath before offering his hand again, "Thanks or whatever."

Amused Chad nodded, "Like I told Will, it's no problem. I should have done more when they were here and alone."

"Yes," Alex bluntly agreed.

"OK," Chad chuckled, "Well, I just wanted to say thanks for taking care of them."

"How do you know that's what I've been doing?" Alex demanded.

"I told you two earlier," Chad reminded Alex, "I've got my own spies. I wasn't just going to let them go and not make sure they weren't safe."

Alex nodded understandingly, "Good."

"Alex," Ari screamed from the bedroom.

"Looks like you're being beckoned," Chad said, "I'll see you later on."

Closing and locking the door Alex headed into the bedroom. Barely sitting down on the bed Alex found himself with a small, wet face pressed against his neck.

"Where did you go?" Ari cried softly, "I couldn't find you."

"I was just in the other room," Alex explained as he kicked off his shoes and swung his legs onto the bed. "I wouldn't leave you," Alex said comfortingly.

Ari whimpered a few times before reaching her hand out for Will. Once she had both Alex and her daddy pressed against her she started to relax a bit.

"What's it going to take to get you to realize we're not leaving, hmm?" Alex wondered.

"I told you on the plane," Ari confessed in a quiet voice. "I told you what I wanted," Ari said.

"What did you say?" Will didn't understand what she was talking about.

Alex, not giving either any time to question it further, said, "I've got another story for you."

"Yeah?" Ari pulled back to look at his face.

Alex nodded carefully as he put Ari back in the middle of the bed with Will and himself on either side of her. Wiping the tears still on Ari's face, Alex cleared his throat before saying, "Once upon a time there was a pretty princess who lived with two handsome princes."

Ari, cuddling against her daddy's side, listened avidly to Alex. Drifting off to sleep again Ari smiled slightly hearing about how the two handsome princes lived together forever with their princess and lived happily ever after.

* * *

"That was a bit of a different story for you," Will told Alex as they quietly left the bedroom.

Alex shrugged, "I guess. It's what she wants to hear though."

"Well it was sweet," Will admitted even though he felt like there was something off about that explanation. Figuring it was the situation, the stress of being in Salem, Will decided to let it go.

"I know something sweeter," Alex wrapped his hands low on Will's waist before dragging them down to his butt.

"You're kind of an idiot," Will told Alex with a bright smile.

"Just with you," Alex confessed. "With anyone else I was always smooth and I never said anything stupid."

"I like you better this way," Will assured Alex before kissing him gently.

Moving one hand to Will's face Alex traced his thumb along Will's cheek, "And I like you better when we're not in Salem."

"Me too," Will nodded. "I don't know what it is about this place but it makes me feel different. I know I'm stronger, better than when I left but I don't know," Will shrugged, "Being here is weird."

"We can still leave you know?" Alex said. "I've got the flight plan memorized for the next two days."

Smiling appreciatively Will replied, "That's good to know but I think we need to at least see Gabi. I don't think either girl would forgive us if that didn't happen."

"Eh, they'd get over it," Alex shrugged despite knowing Will was right. "But seriously, just say the word and we are out of here."

"Good," Will nodded before hugging Alex tightly.

"Are you OK?" Alex questioned quietly.

"I hope so," Will answered. "I hope for Ari's sake and your sake and my sake that everything goes the way I want it to."

"What about," Alex swallowed heavily, "Seeing Sonny?"

"I meant what I told Chad," Will said, "I've said what I need to say to Sonny. Ari doesn't really remember who he is and I don't know if we should tell her he was the one that left her. That would probably just upset her."

"Yeah," Alex agreed. "That wouldn't end well for him." Remember his conversation with Ari on the plane Alex asked, "Just out of curiosity, does Ari know that you were married to Sonny?"

"I'm not sure," Will admitted a bit sheepishly. "After I explained that he wasn't coming back she never let me talk about him and frankly I didn't want to either. And when I started seeing you and I explained everything with us I told her about the last time I was with someone. I didn't go out of my way to keep it from her but I also didn't want to upset her either. All she really remembers about Sonny is that he left."

"No," Alex understood, "I get it."

"Why do you ask?" Will wondered.

"Just something she said today," Alex honestly replied, "She said you had never been married before so I was curious."

"Oh," Will bit his lower lip, "Maybe we should talk to her about it, especially if she sees Sonny. I don't want her getting confused."

"I guess we'll see what happens if we run into him," Alex answered. "We don't want to piss her off without reason."

"No," Will agreed, "But I don't want her not knowing the whole truth either. That's what being here is for, right? To really get over everything."

"Yeah," Alex nodded thinking about exactly why Ari was talking about marriage.

"Today was a relatively good day," Will told Alex, "Probably because we didn't see that many people."

"I'm sure over the course of the next few days we'll see more than we want to," Alex made a face just thinking about it. Remembering earlier when they saw Brady and Paul, Alex sighed, "And I'm sure my uncle and my brother are both going to know we're here sooner or later."

"Then we should probably get some rest," Will suggested. "I get the feeling this weekend is going to be a long one."

Grabbing their bags and carefully going into the bedroom, making sure not to wake up Ari again, Alex and Will changed and got ready for bed.

Taking off his jeans Alex dug out the drawing Ari made during dinner. Despite not being able to see much in the dark room Alex clearly remembered everything in the drawing. Folding the picture again Alex stuffed it in his suitcase before pulling on a pair of pajamas and switching shirts.

Following after Will into bed Alex leaned across Ari and kissed Will deeply.

"I love you," Alex declared smiling softly when Will echoed him.

Listening to the familiar sounds of Will and Ari's breathing, Alex wondered if he would be able to give Ari exactly what she wanted in the end.

* * *

Author's note:

So ends the first part of their visit to Salem. There will be two more chapters of them in Salem.

Please let me know what you thought.

Thanks for reading!

And as always a big thank you to iluvh0rs3s for putting up with my incessant questions about this story. I honestly feel like I would be lost and floating off into a metaphorical sea without you.


	11. Chapter 11

When Alex woke up the next morning it was to an empty bed. Rolling out of bed and moving into the rest of the apartment, Alex found Will and Ari cuddled up on the couch. Ari had fallen back to sleep across Will's lap.

"Hey," Alex greeted as he ran his hand through his messy hair.

"Hi," Will smiled gently at Alex. "She woke up a few hours ago and just now got back to sleep."

"You could have woken me up," Alex said before leaning down and kissing the top of Will's head.

"I know," Will replied. "But you looked like you needed some sleep."

Alex carefully lifted up Ari's head so Will could sneak out from under her. The two quietly made their way into the kitchen area.

"I'm pretty sure of the two of us you need the rest more," Alex reminded Will before kissing him on the lips. "I'm not the one acting like this place is some sort of prison I escaped."

"Yeah," Will nibbled on his bottom lip. When Ari woke him up this morning he relished the time they spent talking and watching TV together on the couch. Only it reminded him of something he hadn't thought of the night before.

"What's wrong?" Alex demanded immediately taking note of the expression on Will's face.

"I just," Will looked down at his feet and took a deep breath, "Even if we don't see Sonny I just realized that we have to tell Ari the truth about what happened in Salem and why we left. And when we do she's going to end up hating me."

Alex wrapped both arms around Will's waist and pulled him close, "What are you even talking about? She isn't going to hate you."

"She is," Will already had accepted it. He already knew that the likelihood of her wanting to fall asleep in his arms again was pretty slim. "I'm going to have to tell her that the reason she was so miserable before, the reason she can't get over things now, is because of me."

"That's not true and you know it," Alex insisted.

"It is," Will argued, "I'm the reason that everyone left. I'm going to have to tell her."

"You're the reason they left you," Alex shook his head. "They are the reason they left her," Alex pointed over towards the couch at Ari.

"She's not going to see it that way," Will morosely answered, "It's going to be like with me and my mom. Ari is going to blame me for everything."

"So, we just don't tell her," Alex offered even though he knew Will wouldn't go for it.

"We have to," Will said before leaning his head on Alex's chest, "I want her to know everything. She isn't going to get over everything that happened if she doesn't know the truth, the whole truth."

"She's not going to hate you," Alex knew that. "Have you seen the way she looks at you?"

"Alex," Will closed his eyes tightly, "She tells people to their face all the time she doesn't like them. What do you think she's going to do to me when she finds out that I ruined everything?"

"Sure she'll be pissed at first," Alex shrugged, "But she'll get over it. Just like when her and I got in that argument that one time. She was mad as hell but she got over it."

"It seriously took me right until I moved to California to really understand my mom," Will whispered. "I was so mad at her for so long. I blamed her for so many things that weren't all her fault. I don't want that to happen with me and Ari."

"It won't," Alex said, "Just because it's similar doesn't mean the exact same thing is going to happen."

Will pulled back from Alex to give him a blank look, "You really think Ari isn't going to hold a grudge? She is half me and half Gabi who spends all her time with you, me and my mom."

"Oh yeah," Alex gave Will a sympathetic look, "Well, you can always do what I do when she's mad and buy her a present."

"What present is going to say that I'm sorry I psychologically damaged you for life?" Will wondered sardonically.

'_Son of a bitch_,' Alex thought remembering the picture he had tucked away in his suitcase, '_I know exactly what she's going to want.'_

Shaking that thought out of his head, Alex advised Will, "Ari told me she hated me once and look at us now. She's not going to stay mad forever."

"I hope not," Will sighed. Looking at the clock on the wall, Will said, "We should start getting ready."

Alex nodded before following after Will into the bedroom both keeping their ears open for any sound of movement from the couch.

* * *

_Will, working on dinner, turned the hot stove off when he heard Alex and Ari arguing in the backyard._

_Opening the door and walking outside Will observed the two of them for a few moments not entirely sure what to make of the moment._

"_You aren't going to catch it like that," Alex growled, "You have to move."_

"_Just throw it to me and I won't have to," Ari stomped her foot. "I told you I don't want to play catch. I want my bubbles!"_

"_You knocked the bubbles over," Alex loudly reminded her before pointing to the wet stain on the concrete nearby._

"_Get me more," Ari shouted._

"_I'm not giving you anything when you act like that," Alex shook his head before giving up. "I'm going inside."_

"_No," Ari stomped both her feet this time, "I'm not done playing!"_

"_Well I am," Alex dismissed._

_Ari, annoyed and upset, picked up the ball that had landed just to the left of her. When Alex walked by her Ari swung her arm back and threw the ball, somehow managing to hit Alex exactly in the back of the head._

_Whipping around Alex groaned, "Are you fucking serious right now, kid?"_

"_What?" Ari asked with a wide smile on her face. "I thought you were done playing?"_

"_You are getting ridiculous," Alex told her. He knew he was getting too upset to deal with this. '_I need to go inside and let Will deal with his kid.'

"_I am not," Ari whined, "Now get back here and play with me."_

"_I'm not playing with you when you act like a brat," Alex informed her before turning back towards the house again._

"_Where are you going?" Ari demanded not liking when she didn't get what she wanted._

"_Inside," Alex said plainly. Turning around Alex told her, "You too. Inside, right now."_

_Ari, making a move to follow Alex's instructions, paused mid-step. Crossing her arms Ari said, "No."_

"_Excuse me?" Alex asked. Trying not to raise his voice Alex hissed, "Get inside, now."_

"_No," Ari said even louder. "I'm not going inside!"_

_Giving up Alex loudly stated, "Get in the damn house!"_

"_No," Ari jumped up and down a few times to emphasize her point, "I'm not going and you can't make me. You're not my daddy. I don't have to listen to you."_

"_Good," Alex shrugged, "Because I don't want to be your dad."_

_Opening and closing her mouth several times Ari felt tears stinging her eyes. Taking a deep breath Ari yelled, "I hate you!"_

_Will, having come outside to hear them both yelling, ran off the patio and towards Ari when he saw her charging Alex. Catching her before she could ram into him Will attempted to get her to calm down._

"_I hate you," Ari kept screaming repeatedly as her limbs were flying and thrashing all over the place._

_Alex calmly watched as Will struggled to get Ari inside the house. Seeing Will cautiously carrying her up the stairs Alex could still hear her shouting, "I hate you!" Over and over again._

* * *

"Will mommy like this dress?" Ari asked Alex as her daddy braided her hair.

"It's frilly and poofy," Alex told her, "I'm pretty sure she'll like it."

"And what about my hair?" Ari double checked. "You're making it look good, right?"

"Yes," Will said with a brush between his teeth. Over the past few years that Ari had actually had hair long enough to do anything with he had become an expert hairstylist. _'Even Alex is suspiciously good_,' Will smiled a bit knowing that Alex preferred not talking about how he learned all his newfound tricks.

"OK," Ari fiddled with the bottom of her dress, "And my shoes?"

"Kid," Alex sat down next to her on the bed, "You're the best looking girl in the entire world. So knock off the worrying."

Ari nodded nervously. "Do you have all the stuff I brought for her?"

"It's in the bag by the front door," Will said, redoing a section of hair, "We aren't going to forget it."

"Right," Ari inhaled and exhaled loudly. "And mommy is going to love me?"

"Duh," Alex said, "Kind of hard not to."

"Is she going to love you and daddy?" Ari wondered. "Because I want her too. I want her to love you the way I do."

Will bit his bottom lip again. _'Please still love me after you find out the truth, please, please._'

"Mommy already loves daddy and I am irresistible," Alex joked, "But she'll be too busy looking at you to care about anyone else."

"Finished," Will declared as he finished with the last hair tie.

Ari hopped off the bed and over to the mirror. Looking at herself from all angles Ari said, "I'm ready."

"First, we're getting something to eat," Alex reminded her. "No one should be subjected to you when you're hungry."

* * *

"Hmm," Ari looked around at the Brady Pub, "I think I'm getting something."

"Really?" Will asked feeling a bit surprised.

"It's not really a memory," Ari tried to explain, "Just a feeling. I don't know. It's weird."

"Good feeling or bad feeling?" Alex questioned.

"I think it's good," Ari decided after a moment. "No, it's good."

"Great," Will smiled slightly. He wanted to be happier about Ari somewhat remembering things from the past, particularly good things, but he was so certain that soon enough she was going to hate him.

"What about you, Daddy?" Ari questioned, kicking her feet against the booth and annoying the people behind her, "Do you have good feelings?"

"About this place?" Will clarified. With a nod Will answered, "Yeah." Looking around at the familiar décor, Will added, "I'm surprised we haven't seen anyone I know yet. This place used to be crawling with family members."

"There's some," Alex pointed to Lucas and Adrienne walking inside.

"Who are they again?" Ari whispered when she saw them slowly walking over to them.

Alex, smirking slightly, said, "Just call them by their names."

"Done," Ari nodded conspiratorially.

"Dad, Adrienne," Will greeted already feeling exhausted with them around.

"Hi," Lucas smiled slightly. "I'm a bit surprised to see you all here."

"Well we need to eat," Alex stated with a dull tone.

"Right," Lucas nodded dumbly. He knew if he wanted to get closer to Will and Ari he needed to make a real effort with Alex.

"That's a really pretty dress you have on, Ari," Adrienne smiled at her widely. Even now it still surprised her to see how big Ari had gotten. _'We really did miss so much because we were unwilling to look past Will.'_

"I know," Ari replied in an obvious tone. "I'm going to see my mommy."

"That's great," Adrienne acknowledged. _'Of course they would go see Gabi. Why didn't I even think of that?'_

As Adrienne and Lucas stood awkwardly around their booth Will finally took pity on them and asked, "Did you want to grab an extra chair and join us?"

"Yes," Lucas replied almost before Will could finish the question.

"Because this won't be annoying," Alex commented lowly.

* * *

Ari, letting Adrienne cut her waffle for her, said, "Daddy makes me Mickey Mouse waffles. They taste better that way."

"Daddy does?" Adrienne couldn't stop herself from clarifying. As far as she knew Will Horton didn't know how to be an adult or to really take care of anyone let alone a child.

"Yep," Ari confirmed, "He makes me everything I want. And he made my hair pretty, huh?"

"Yes, he certain did," Adrienne was beginning to suspect there was a lot about Will that she didn't know about now.

"But Alex does this fancy hair thing where it looks like a heart," Ari added happily, "But a heart does not go with polka dots so he couldn't do it today."

"Alex does your hair?" Adrienne turned to stare at her son incredulously.

"What?" Alex asked defensively. "It's not that hard."

"Nothing," Adrienne smiled widely, "I just think it's sweet."

"Alex makes up a fairy tale for me every night before bed," Ari confessed enjoying the way Alex face was going red.

"That is just the-" Adrienne cut herself off to put her hand over her mouth. Never in a million years would she have pictured Alex in such a domestic position.

Adrienne never thought Alex would have a family or take care of a child. _'But god,'_ Adrienne felt silly wiping away a few wayward tears, _'He loves her and he loves Will and look how happy he is.'_

Lucas patted Adrienne's knee before looking at Alex appreciatively. Anyone that would make his granddaughter that happy had to be a good person.

_'And he makes Will happy. He's there for Will in a way that no one else ever was.'_

Lucas still remembered his own wedding reception. Despite the setback with Alex and Sonny getting into it Lucas recalled Alex's role. _'He was standing up for Will.'_

Not wanting to draw attention to Adrienne's emotional outburst, Will said, "I don't think I ever really found out who was taking care of this place after Grandma," Will glanced at Ari, "Um, went away."

"Well, it's mostly been a group effort from all the Brady's," Lucas said.

"Oh," Will nodded. "That makes sense."

"Daddy," Ari pushed her fork out towards Will's plate, "I want some eggs."

Rolling his eyes fondly Will tipped some of his onto Ari's plate, "There you go, baby girl."

"Thank you, Daddy," Ari smiled widely.

Adrienne glanced at Will before saying, "You're really good with her."

"Thanks," Will gave her a small smile. He knew she was making an effort with him and figured the least he could do is be polite. _'Part of letting go of the past is forgiving people and moving on.'_

"It's not always easy," Will admitted to Adrienne. "But I've had a lot of help with my mom and Alex." Seeing the look on Adrienne's face, Will laughed, "Yeah, I know. We're not exactly a dream team."

"Sure you are," Ari inputted, "You're the best daddy ever."

Will smiled widely, "Thank you, sweetie."

"As long as Ari is happy I guess it doesn't really matter," Adrienne conceded.

"Well," Will took a deep breath, "We're doing everything we can to keep her happy."

While Will and Adrienne were talking Alex and Lucas were conversing as well.

"So," Lucas said with an uncomfortable smile, "How has Will handled being here?"

"So far so good," Alex sighed. "I'm sure today isn't going to be pretty though."

"For which one?" Lucas wondered looking between Ari and Will.

"Both," Alex knew today was going to epically suck. Giving Lucas a once over Alex asked, "Any word on when Sonny is coming back?"

A bit surprised that Alex knew about that Lucas nodded, "His flight should be coming in any time now."

"Great," Alex rolled his eyes. "That'll be something to look forward to on top of everything else."

"Speaking of," Alex glanced at his watch, "We need to hit the road. Prison visiting hours only last so long."

"That's not a sentence you hear every day," Lucas joked.

"It kind of is with us," Will smiled. "Are you ready to go see mommy?" Will asked Ari.

"Yes," Ari hopped excitedly in her seat.

"OK," Will said, "Let's go to the bathroom and then we can go see her."

* * *

Coming out of the restroom Will told his dad and Adrienne, "It was nice seeing you guys again."

Adrienne nodded in agreement, "It was. Maybe we can see you all again before you leave."

"We'll see," Alex cut in before Will could agree to something for the sake of being polite. _'I have no idea how this day is going to go.'_

"Let's go," Ari whined pulling on Will's hand.

"Don't be rude," Will said to his impatient daughter.

Begrudgingly giving Lucas and Adrienne a hug quickly, Ari grabbed Alex and Will's hands and started dragging them out the door.

Bumping into someone on their way out the door Will said, "Hi, Aunt Hope. Bye, Aunt Hope."

Hope, turning to look at whoever was running down the street, saw Lucas and Adrienne walking outside, "Was that Will?" Hope questioned.

"Yes," Adrienne patted Hope's shoulder. "With my son Alex," Adrienne added trying to sound enthusiastic.

"Really?" Hope said turning back to see Will and Ari and whoever that Alex person was get into a car. "How did that happen?"

* * *

"Are you ready?" Will asked as they finished walking through a metal detector.

"Uh huh," Ari nodded nervously, tightly hanging onto her daddy's hand. Looking behind her to see Alex taking a long time going through the line Ari made a small whimpering sound.

Alex, rolling his eyes, grabbed Ari's outstretched hand when he was done. "Why do I always get stopped at these things? First the airport and now here."

"Couldn't have anything to do with your sunny disposition, could it?" Will flashed Alex a small smile. "Now, let's go see mommy."

Ari, shaking from nerves and excitement, said, "I don't see her."

"Keep looking," Will advised. "She might be in one of the back tables."

Alex, taller than the other two, spotted someone familiar just making her way towards a table, "I spy our favorite jailbird."

"Where?" Ari whispered following along as Alex started pulling them in the right direction.

"Over here," Alex said, "She's going to be extremely surprised to see you."

"Is my hair OK?" Ari questioned, "And my dress? Daddy?"

"You look perfect," Will promised. Seeing Gabi in person for the first time in ages Will felt a wide smile spreading across his face_. 'I guess I missed her more than I thought.'_

"I'm scared," Ari admitted as soon as they stopped near her mommy's table.

"Everything's fine, kid," Alex assured her. "It's just like talking on the computer."

Gabi wasn't sure exactly who was coming to see her_. 'It must be one of my friends or maybe Rafe is back from his assignment.'_ Gabi had gone so long without seeing her brother once he went back to work for the FBI. _'Doesn't mean it isn't lonely without Rafe, Ari and Will.'_

Therefore, when Gabi heard a tiny voice whisper, "Mommy," she turned around in her seat in surprise.

"Oh my god," Gabi gasped out seeing exactly who was in front of her. Waiting patiently for Ari to get closer Gabi already felt tears streaming down her face.

Ari stared at her mother for a few moments before turning to look at her daddy and then Alex. Seeing them nodding at her encouragingly Ari ran towards her mommy and jumped into her arms.

"Mommy, mommy, mommy," Ari yelled as she burrowed her face against Gabi's chest.

"Oh my god," Gabi repeated holding onto Ari as tightly as she could. Pushing Ari away Gabi looked over her daughters face and said, "Look at you."

Ari kept her arms locked around her mommy's neck as she stared up at her with wide eyes.

Will and Alex both sat down across from Gabi and Ari. Will blinked away a few tears of his own watching their reunion. He hated having to keep Ari and Gabi away from each other.

Alex gave a half smile watching Ari with Gabi. He knew how much this had to mean to both of them. Alex had given up a long time ago any pretenses that he wouldn't do anything for Ari.

"I missed you," Ari whispered hugging her mommy one more time.

"You have no idea how much I missed you," Gabi told Ari. "I think about you all day, every day. I love you so, so, so much."

Pushing Ari away again to look at her Gabi started crying even harder, "You're even prettier in person than on the computer."

Putting both her hands on Ari's face Gabi praised, "You're so beautiful and perfect."

Ari smiled widely and nodded before saying very seriously, "Yes, I am."

Laughing Gabi shook her head, "How are you so perfect?"

"I don't know," Ari responded before leaning against Gabi's chest one more time.

Finally catching sight of Will and Alex, Gabi wiped her eyes before saying, "I can't believe you're here."

Will smiled at Gabi, "It was long overdue. I'm sorry I kept her away for so long."

"You didn't keep her away," Gabi insisted, "I always understood why you left and why you stayed away."

"Maybe if she saw you more she would be happier," Will offered wondering if one of the reasons Ari was so dependent was because he didn't get enough time with Gabi.

"But I am happy," Ari said, turning in Gabi's arms to face her daddy, "You make me happy all the time."

"And that's why it's worth it," Gabi told Will. "As long as she's happy then I don't care about anything else."

Turning to Alex, Gabi shook her head, "I never even imagined I'd ever meet you in person."

Alex shrugged trying to give off at least some sort of good impression, "They tell me where to go and I go."

"Mommy," Ari sat up and bounced happily in her lap, "Do you love daddy and Alex the way I do? Do you? Do you? Do you?"

"Whoa," Gabi had to steady Ari when she almost toppled right over. "You love daddy and Alex, huh?"

"Duh," Ari rolled her eyes. "I just said that. They're my favorite." Realizing that was a bit mean, Ari added, "I love you too though. But I love them and they love me and-"

"Take a breath, kid, geez," Alex ordered. "You like us. We get it."

Sticking her tongue out at Alex, Ari reached across the table for the bag of pictures they brought for her mommy.

As Ari started to explain, in great detail, each picture Will and Alex calmly watched how happy both girls looked.

Whispering in Will's ear Alex said, "She said she loved us. A few months ago she was screaming that she hated me and look at her now. She isn't going to be mad at you."

"I hope not," Will sighed before smiling again when Gabi started tearing up listening to Ari.

* * *

_Will wrestled with Ari all the way up the stairs until he dropped her on her bed._

_"What is going on with you?" Will demanded. He had no idea what to think about what he just witnessed between Ari and Alex. "If Alex tells you to do something, you do it. You know that. It doesn't matter if he says something or if I do. You listen."_

_"I hate him," Ari insisted before crossing her arms over her chest and panting._

_"No you don't," Will shook his head. He knew Ari didn't._

_"Yes, I do," Ari shouted._

_"Hey," Will scolded firmly. He knew he was very lenient with Ari that he let her get away with doing and saying too much but he wasn't going to put up with her yelling and screaming._

_Deflating slightly Ari finally let the tears she had been holding in fall. Noisily sobbing Ari threw herself into her daddy's arms._

_Catching Ari automatically, Will sat on her bed and rubbed her back, "It's OK. Just take a few deep breaths."_

_Ari shook her head. Between sobs she got out, "I hate him."_

_"Arianna," Will admonished, "Stop saying that. I know that isn't true. Why are you getting so upset?"_

_When Ari refused to answer, Will just held onto her tightly until her sobbing subsided and she fell asleep._

_Will left Ari in her bed before going to find Alex. Seeing him sitting on the couch downstairs watching TV, Will sat down next to him._

_"Are you OK?" Will asked Alex recognizing the tension in his jaw._

_"Fine," Alex grunted out._

_"It's OK if you aren't," Will reminded him._

_"I said I'm fine," Alex burst out loudly._

_Frowning at Alex Will shook his head, "I know you aren't." When Alex didn't say anything to him either Will asked, "Is it about what she was screaming at you?"_

_"I'm not talking about this," Alex informed Will. "So just drop it."_

_"How am I supposed to do that?" Will questioned, "When the both of you are acting like this?"_

_"Well, figure it out," Alex snorted before standing up and finding his keys. "I'm going out."_

_Rolling his eyes Will said, "You two are working this out on your own when you get back, just so you know."_

* * *

"How did you even get Will on a plane?" Gabi asked Alex, giving Will a teasing look, "I'm still surprised he even flew to LA those times by himself."

"The unofficial response is we talked him into it," Alex divulged. "But the real reason is I drugged him and then gave him alcohol so he'd pass out."

Gabi laughed loudly.

Will shook his head but was at least glad Gabi thought it was funny.

Ari, smiling because her mommy was smiling, added, "Daddy is so ridiculous. He was freaking out the whole time."

"What about you?" Gabi wondered. "Were you OK?"

"Yeah," Ari answered, "Alex and I watched movies and took pictures of daddy while he was sleeping."

"What?" Will demanded torn between amusement and horror.

"Uh huh," Ari said.

At the same time Alex hissed, "That was supposed to be a secret, geez kid."

"I'm cute," Ari shrugged one shoulder, "I can get away with these things."

Gabi clutched Ari to her one more time. It was so different seeing her daughter in person versus only talking on the phone or in front of a screen. She got to see all the little expressions Ari made and hear the inflections in her tone.

"Mommy," Ari complained, "You're smothering me."

"Sorry," Gabi let up on her hold just a tiny bit. "I just missed you so much."

"I know," Ari responded making Gabi laugh again.

"Now," Gabi looked between Will and Alex, "I want to hear about the two of you."

As Will and Alex both began talking to her Gabi marveled at how well they interacted. Over the computer and over the phone it was harder to make out all the little details about them but here they were right in front of her face.

Gabi noticed that since they had arrived neither Will nor Alex had let Ari out of their sights. She also noted that Alex was touching Will in some way, be it his hand or his thigh or his hip. Gabi and Alex had a rocky start when they first met but Gabi knew that Will and Ari loved him dearly.

_'And it's pretty damn obvious he feels the same,'_ Gabi saw that plainly from the minute changes in Alex's expressions when he was looking at one of them instead of her. _'God,'_ Gabi thought, _'They really have turned into a family.'_

When she had first heard about Alex, Gabi was concerned. When she had first met him she was tempted to tell Will he absolutely could not let that man anywhere near their daughter. When she found out who Alex was related to Gabi wanted to ban Ari from him, certain that Alex would end up hurting Ari in the same way his brother did. But something held Gabi back. Maybe it was the way Will looked at Alex or the way that Ari seemed to interact with him. For whatever reason Gabi kept her mouth shut and now she could see that it paid off.

_'Ari and Will love him, really love him,'_ Gabi knew.

* * *

_"Really?" Gabi frowned slightly._

_"Are you mad?" Will wondered seeing Gabi's happy expression melt away._

_"No," Gabi tried to explain, "I just thought that I'd get to see Ari the whole time."_

_"I know that you really look forward to these things," Will told her apologetically, "But I really want you to meet him."_

_"OK, Will," Gabi resisted rolling her eyes. _'I get to spend a limited amount of time with my daughter because of your love life as it is,'_ Gabi couldn't stop herself from thinking. _'Might as well meet one more jerk that's going to break your heart in the end.'

_"Hey," Will turned in his chair and started gesturing with his hand._

_Gabi's smile returned when she saw Ari skipping onto the screen with a tall, good looking man coming in behind her._

_"Mommy," Ari happily called as she clambered onto Will's lap._

_"Hi, sweetie," Gabi greeted. "How are you?"_

_"Good," Ari nodded, "I beat Alex four times at racing cars."_

_"Because you cheat," Alex complained._

_Gabi, looking away from her daughters face, saw Alex pulling up another chair next to Will's. Getting her first good look at the new man in Will's life Gabi had to admit he was hot._

'That must be why Will is getting so carried away with him,'_ Gabi assumed._

_"Gabi," Will said happily, "This is Alex, Alex this is Gabi."_

_"Hi," Gabi said politely._

_Alex nodded before saying, "So, shank anyone recently?"_

_Gabi opened her mouth in shock, "No," she insisted, completely offended._

_"Pity," Alex mock sighed, "That would have been a much more interesting story."_

_Ari giggled. She liked it when Alex used that funny tone._

_Furrowing her eyebrows Gabi gave Will a stern look, "Will-"_

_Cutting Gabi off, Will said, "Alex took us to Disneyland yesterday."_

_Ari, taking a giant breath, began explaining every moment of the trip to her mommy. She almost completely forgot to tell her._

_Gabi, while listening to Ari's quick talking, kept an eye on Alex. He kept a blank look on his face almost the entire time. While Will would smile or laugh along with Ari in places Alex's expression barely changed. The only time Gabi noticed a difference was when Will leaned over to whisper something in his ear._

_It might have been a trick of the light or the pixilation on the computer screen but Gabi could have sworn that he smiled._

_As Ari's story was winding down Will took a look at the time and told Ari, "Why don't you tell mommy goodnight, hmm?"_

_"Can you help her brush her teeth?" Will asked Alex with a sweet smile while Ari and Gabi started their goodbyes._

_"I guess," Alex said a bit reluctantly, "But you could have just said you wanted to talk alone."_

_"Get out," Will joked, "I want to talk alone."_

_Standing up Alex nodded at Gabi, "See you. Come on, kid."_

_As soon as Ari and Alex were out of sight Gabi hissed, "Are you kidding me right now? Why are you with him?"_

_"Gabi," Will shook his head, "I know he seems really rough around the edges but I promise he's actually kind of sweet."_

_"Will," Gabi said in a high pitched tone, "What are you thinking?" Narrowing her eyes Gabi asked, "Is this because he's the first guy you've slept with in a while?"_

_"No," Will stated feeling offended. "That's not it. I like him. I like him and I know Ari is starting to as well."_

_Gabi rubbed her forehead before saying, "Just make sure the both of you don't get hurt. OK?"_

_"I'm not going to let that happen again," Will assured her. "Besides, Alex isn't like that with me."_

_"If you say so," Gabi hoped Will knew what he was doing._

* * *

"This is seriously the best surprise I've ever gotten," Gabi told Will and Alex emphatically. "I just," Gabi hugged Ari tightly one more time. "I can't thank you enough," Gabi said.

"I'll let you know about how the rest of the trip goes," Will told Gabi a bit vaguely. He knew she would get what he meant though.

"Right," Gabi nodded_. 'I really hope this ends up being worth it for both of them.'_

Hearing the guards announce that visiting time was over Alex and Will stood up from the table.

"I don't wanna go," Ari whispered as she held onto her mommy tightly.

"I don't want you to either," Gabi confessed, "But it's OK. Because you get to be with Daddy and Alex, right?"

"Yeah," Ari sighed. Kissing her mommy's cheeks several times Ari quietly told her, "Guess what?"

"What?" Gabi played along and bit her lip as hard as she could so she wouldn't start crying again.

"I'm gonna make daddy and Alex get married," Ari said before reluctantly pulling away and finally getting off Gabi's lap.

Gabi stared after Ari in concern. _'What the hell?'_

Immediately picking Ari up Will held her securely while she nuzzled against him while he hugged and kissed Gabi.

"Thank you so much, Will," Gabi said as she hugged him tightly, trying to put Ari's confession out of her mind. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," Will promised. "You'll always be my best friend."

"I better be," Gabi smiled tearfully. Turning to Alex, Gabi didn't give him a choice in the matter before yanking him into a hug.

"Ooof," Alex grunted out when Gabi attacked him. "Hitting the gym much?" he complained about her tight grip.

"Shut up," Gabi insisted. "Thank you for taking care of them," Gabi told him in a small voice so Will and Ari wouldn't overhear, "For being so good to them."

Hesitantly putting his arms around Gabi, Alex said, "No problem."

Kissing Alex's cheek Gabi pulled back, "And Ari's right, by the way." Seeing the way Alex instantly put his hand on Will's lower back and the easy way the three fit together Gabi's lips started trembling, "I do love you both as much as she does."

"Now go," Gabi covered her mouth, "Before I really start freaking out."

"Mommy," Ari called, tears streaming down her face, as they started walking away. "Mommy!"

Gabi kept her eyes on Ari until they walked into the next room and out of sight. Gathering all the pictures and drawings to her chest Gabi unashamedly sobbed as she went back to her cell.

* * *

"_What's with that look?" Gabi asked seeing Will and Ari with matching expressions. Their lips were clamped together and their hands were twirling together. _'God they're so alike,'_ Gabi thought with a smile_. 'And they both are holding in a secret.'

"_Um," Will started saying, "Well, you see," Will had no idea how to tell Gabi that he and Ari were going to move in with Alex. _

"_Move over," Alex pushed Will off of his bed. "We're talking here." _

"_Bye mommy," Ari said with a mysterious smile before going downstairs to play with Sydney._

"_You sure you don't need me in here?" Will asked Alex nervously. He really wasn't sure how Gabi was going to react to the news. He wanted Gabi to be happy for him and Ari but he wasn't exactly sure what he would do if she didn't approve._

_Following Ari's movement until she was out of sight Gabi turned to Alex with a weary expression, "What is this all about?" _

"_What? We can't have a friendly chat," Alex questioned gruffly. _

_Giving him a blank look Gabi crossed her arms, "Do you actually chat with anyone?" _

"_No," Alex shrugged. "OK, fine, there's something we need to talk about."_

"_OK," Gabi said considering Alex. "Go for it." _

_Alex lifted his hand up ready to say something before putting it back down. Opening his mouth Alex closed it once he realized he didn't know what to say. _

'Get a grip,'_ Alex told himself. _'What the hell can she do from jail?'

_Gabi was amused watching Alex look so uncertain. He was normally so cocky and smooth Gabi couldn't stop herself from getting a little bit of enjoyment seeing him floundering about. _

_Seeing the smile on Gabi's face Alex closed his eyes and tried one more time. _

"_The thing is," Alex started, "Will can't live with Sami forever. Will and Ari need a real place of their own." _

"_OK," Gabi said slowly. _

"_So," Alex swallowed and did everything he could to sound sincere, "I asked them to move in with me." _

"_What?" Gabi furrowed her brows and frowned. _

"_I've been staying in a hotel since I moved here," Alex continued, "And I want somewhere of my own too. And it sure as hell isn't going to be here," Alex gestured to the room around him. "Sami's great and all but it's hard as fuck to get any alone time." _

"_Which is why," Alex finished, "Will, Ari and I are going to find a house of our own. And I asked them so I guess now I'm asking you." _

"_Asking me?" Gabi shook her head. "I don't think I heard a question anywhere in there." _

"_No, no you didn't," Alex confirmed. He knew all about Will and Gabi's long history from when they were dating up until Will and Ari left Salem. He liked Gabi well enough but Alex definitely considered Will the ultimate authority when it came to Ari. _

"_What if I say no?" Gabi questioned. "Hmm? What happens then?" _

"_Are you?" Alex shot back in a firm tone. _

"_I should," Gabi shrugged. "How do I know you are in any way fit to live with my daughter?" _

"_Hate to break it to you, beauty queen," Alex smiled sarcastically, "But I know your daughter better than you do." _

_Gabi glared and went to open her mouth before Alex cut her off. _

"_I spend more time with her than you do," Alex added, "I know the crap she does at daycare and her favorite toys. I know when she gets hungry and when she needs a nap. I went with her and Will to get her immunizations and made it so she didn't even cry." _

"_That doesn't mean-" Gabi tried to say. _

"_No," Alex was getting frustrated, "I know that I'm not the best choice to be around a kid. Half the time I think I'm going to fuck her up even worse than she already is. But that doesn't mean I don't fucking try. I fucking know that if I want Will I have to want her too. I do know that. I know it's a package deal." _

"_And maybe I didn't want it at first," Alex confessed, "Maybe I have thought about how it would be easier to leave them both behind but I can't. I literally cannot. I'm not leaving either of them. If I wanted to leave I wouldn't have asked them to buy a house with me." _

_When Alex finally stopped talking Gabi looked him over one more time, really looked. _

_Gabi hardly noticed Alex most of the time when he was around during her and Ari's skype sessions. She was too focused on her daughter to notice much of anything else. But she had seen how Ari interacted with him easier than before._

'Actually,'_ Gabi thought back on it, _'The three of them all seem a lot closer than they did when I first met Alex.'

_While Gabi didn't particularly care for Alex's attitude towards her she could somewhat appreciate it. Gabi had been in prison practically all of Ari's life. Will had done the best he could to talk over major decisions about Ari with Gabi but she still missed so much. She didn't get to see all of Ari's everyday activities. She didn't get to hear Ari's sleep-laced voice in the morning or hear her whines when she was cranky. _

_As much as it pained Gabi to admit Will was the one who made all the decisions. She knew Will would never do something that she expressly forbid but that wasn't the same thing. _

'Will's been a single parent for a while now,'_ Gabi knew, _'But he's finally happy again. Will and Ari are both happy again.'_ Seeing the challenging look on Alex's face Gabi realized, '_And I can't deny that Alex is part of the reason.'

'But do they really need to live together?'_ Gabi wondered. _'Why aren't they happy enough just dating? Why does Will always have to rush into everything?'

'No, stop that,'_ Gabi tried to clear her head. _'That isn't fair to Will.'

_Knowing there wasn't much time left for this visit, Gabi gazed at Alex one more time, "Are you really serious about them?" Knowing Alex would say something sarcastic Gabi quickly added, "Honestly, Alex, are you going to hurt them? Are you going to get their hopes up, get bored and bail?" _

"_I'm the one that talked them into this," Alex said in a somber tone of voice. "I was the one who thought of it and I'm the one who is planning on following through." _

_Alex shook his head, "I have no idea what's going to happen in the future but I know that right now I have no intention of ditching them. Is that good enough for you?" _

"_You love them?" Gabi wondered. _

"_Yes," Alex immediately answered. _

"_Then OK," Gabi told him. "Just don't screw them over, ever." _

"_Wouldn't want to upset a convicted murderer," Alex replied with a slight smirk._

* * *

Will sat in the backseat with Ari holding her hand.

"I miss her already," Ari cried gently. "Why did we have to go?"

"Because mommy can only see us for a little bit, like when you get to talk when we're at home," Will explained.

"But why is she there? Why doesn't she get to be with me?" Ari shook her head before wiping at her face.

Will closed his eyes. He hated having to explain this to Ari. _'How exactly do you explain to a child her mom's in jail for murdering someone?'_

Trying to be as honest as possible Will said, "Mommy made a big mistake and she has to stay there until the people in charge think she learned her lesson."

"Oh," Ari said. "Like when I'm bad and you put me in time out?"

"Yes," Will nodded. Catching Alex's eyes in the rearview mirror Will couldn't help from making a relieved expression.

"Mommy must have been really bad," Ari decided.

"She did something bad," Will corrected her, "That does not make her bad. Just like when you act like a little pain I still love you."

"I'm always perfect," Ari sniffed before giving her daddy a silly smile.

"Ha," Alex laughed from the driver's seat, "You are full of jokes."

"Am I as pretty as mommy?" Ari questioned after a few moments.

"I told you earlier," Alex said as he pulled into a parking lot. "You're the prettiest girl in the world."

"Beautiful just like mommy," Will assured her. "Now," Will said, "Are you still full from breakfast or do you want lunch?"

"Can I get another hot chocolate?" Ari questioned puckering her lips out and batting her wet lashes.

"Sure," Will agreed. Nervously licking his lips Will said, "Then I think there's some things we should talk about."

* * *

Will stood outside of Club TBD with an apprehensive look on his face.

"So," Alex said, "We going in or what?"

"If Sonny is in town and Chad was telling the truth he's probably in here," Will reminded Alex.

"It's not sunny in there," Ari told them both looking at them like they were nuts. "It's all dark."

"We'll go in, get the drinks and leave. Time to let shit go, right?" Alex shrugged before opening the door. Will followed along while still holding Ari's hand.

"Explain to me why this place is crawling with old people," Alex requested before going over to the bar and ordering their drinks.

"It's a mystery," Will said, "Like why your brother and Chad changed it from a bar to a coffee house back to a bar."

"When has my brother ever made up his mind about anything for long?" Alex snarked. "Speaking of," Alex trailed off when he saw Sonny and Paul coming out of a hallway.

'_Might as well get this over with now,'_ Alex decided before moving closer to Will and Ari.

"Fantastic," Will muttered.

"There's that guy I don't like," Ari complained when she saw Paul. Dropping Will's hand Ari climbed onto a bar stool and snapped at the girl working, "Where's my hot chocolate? You're taking forever."

"Sorry," Will said apologetically to the server. "She's demanding. Ari," Will lightly scolded.

Chad, trailing behind Sonny and Paul, saw Will, Ari and Alex and rushed over to the bar. "I'd listen to her if I were you."

Ari gave Chad a satisfied expression before making an annoying tick-tock sound.

"Hey," Chad greeted, "What are you guys up to?"

"We just got back from seeing Gabi," Will explained. "Someone," Will put his hands on Ari's shoulders, "Wanted hot chocolate and you said something about not going to Starbucks."

Chad began chatting with Will while Alex covertly kept an eye on his brother. He wanted to see what would happen when Sonny spotted them.

_'And there it is,'_ Alex thought when he saw Sonny freeze in his tracks_. 'Now what's he going to do?'_

Seeing Sonny walking towards them Alex made sure to position himself in between Sonny and Will and Ari.

"Um," Sonny cringed a bit when that was the first thing out of his mouth, "Hi."

"Um hi," Alex couldn't stop himself from mocking.

"You, um, you guys are really here," Sonny said. "I mean, I heard but, but you really are here."

"Yep," Alex confirmed dryly. "So," Alex had no idea what to say. "Nice trip?"

"Yeah," Sonny nodded, "For the most part."

"Finally," Ari huffed when her cup was placed in front of her. Turning to face Chad Ari told him, "Your service sucks."

Chad snorted, "I'll make sure to make a note of it."

"Can I fire her?" Ari asked her reddened eyes widening in excitement.

"I don't think so," Chad told her, "But you can have all the free hot chocolate you want."

"Oh," Ari's shoulders slumped in disappointment.

Sonny stared long and hard at Ari. _'God how could she have grown this much since the last time I saw her?'_

Will, thanking the server for bringing their drinks, went to pay for them when Chad shook his head.

"I've got it covered," Chad assured Will and the girl behind the counter. "Spread the word that they don't need to pay for anything if they come back."

"Thanks," Will smiled. Finally looking over at Sonny and Paul, Will nodded at them both before saying, "Hey."

"Hi," Sonny responded eyes traveling back to Ari.

"Hey," Paul greeted. He had no clue what he was supposed to do in this situation. He had barely even talked to Sonny since he got back and now this. _'God, is it always going to be this awkward?'_

"I think we need to get back," Will said after a tense moment.

"Good," Ari sighed as she thrust her cup at Alex and hopped off the stool.

Bumping into someone Ari said, "Sorry."

Looking up at who she had bumped into Ari recognized the guy who had been at her grandma's house a long time ago to yell at her daddy and Alex. Ready to say something scathing, Ari paused when she saw the way he was looking at her.

Tilting her head slightly Ari felt like she might know him from somewhere else. Shaking herself out of it, Ari grabbed Alex's hand and looked at her daddy expectantly.

"Thanks again," Will lifted his cup up at Chad. "I'll let you know what we're doing before we leave."

"I'd appreciate it," Chad answered smiling at how impatient Ari looked. "God, she looks so much like you."

"Ari," Will said giving her an expectant look.

Rolling her eyes Ari walked over to Chad and said, "Thank you for the drink."

"Sure thing kid," Chad put his fist out for her to bump again.

Alex nodded at Chad before telling his brother and Paul, "See ya."

Will let Alex and Ari guide him from the club. He couldn't get the image of Sonny staring at Ari out of his head.

* * *

Alex watched Ari munch on the French fries and chicken nuggets they bought on their way back to the apartment. Will, however, was barely picking at his burger. Alex knew Will was dreading this conversation but it had to be done.

Seeing Ari finishing the last of her nuggets Will cleared his throat, "Baby girl, I think there are some things that we should all talk about."

"Like what?" Ari wondered as she nibbled on the last of her French fries.

"We told you that coming here was for you and me to let go of all our fears and scary thoughts about our past," Will reminded her. Licking his lips Will added, "But for us to do that I need to be honest with you."

"Honest how?" Ari questioned. She didn't like the sad look on her daddy's face.

"There are some things you need to know about why we left," Will told her, "And I'm just a little afraid that you aren't going to like me very much once I tell you."

"I'm always going to like you," Ari insisted. Wiping her salty hands on the couch Ari moved closer to her daddy.

Alex looked at Will reassuringly before sitting on Will's other side and placing his hand on Will's knee.

"OK," Will took a deep breath, "You remember how sad I was before we left?"

"You cried a lot," Ari recalled. "And whenever you were sad I was sad. I remember being sad a lot."

"Do you remember why?" Will asked carefully.

Ari concentrated very hard, "Because people left. They were there and then they weren't. That's why we were sad."

Will nodded before pressing his lips together, "Yes. But I never really told you why they left."

"Why they left?" Ari repeated. "I thought it was because they didn't love us anymore. And that's why you always tell me you love me now."

Will shook his head rapidly and blinked away some tears, "No, baby. It's because of me."

"You?" Ari didn't understand. "Why would you do anything?"

"Because I was dumb and selfish and didn't think," Will confessed. "And I did some bad things."

"Like mommy did?" Ari interrupted him.

"Kind of," Will said, "I, um, I did some bad things and I hurt some people. And because of that everyone left."

"But," Ari was trying to make sense of everything, "But why would they leave?"

"It wasn't because of you," Will tried to reassure her. He took her tiny little hand in his and said, "It was because of me. And I promise I didn't know that was going to happen. I didn't think everyone was going to leave."

"Oh," Ari dropped her head so she was staring at her lap.

"I knew that eventually everyone would get fed up with me but I didn't think they'd take it out on both of us," Will continued in a slightly panicked tone. "I never thought that they would punish me by leaving us alone. I didn't want that."

"I tried really hard to make things right but I just kept making them worse," Will shook his head. "And I knew I would continue to make it worse until you hated me entirely. So, I-I decided we should leave. That I couldn't stand being alone anymore or hearing you cry. I knew that if we left we would have another chance at being happy. And I tried so, so hard to fix everything but I couldn't."

"So," Will blinked several times, "It's my fault everything happened. I'm so sorry. I promise I didn't mean for it to happen. I never wanted to hurt you. It's my fault you feel the way you do and why you're afraid everyone is going to leave in the end."

Alex put his arm around Will and squeezed carefully. He didn't know how exactly the kid was going to react to the news. Alex did know that in the end everything was going to be fine.

Will was terrified about what Ari was going to say. He was terrified she was going to scream at him. _'She should scream at me. I'm the reason everyone left and I'm the reason she doesn't get to see her mother as much as she should.'_

Ari finally looked up at Will with wide, watery eyes. _'Everyone left me because daddy was bad, mean. I was sad because of him.' _

'_But he doesn't make me sad now,'_ Ari thought. _'He makes me happy. He doesn't leave me and he always comes back. I love daddy. And I know he loves me. He wouldn't be mean to me on purpose.'_

'_Daddy looks so sad now,'_ Ari realized. _'I hate when he looks sad.'_

She opened her mouth to say something before shaking her head and throwing herself into Will's arms.

Surprised, Will held Ari against him, pushing her long braid to the side to rub against her back.

"Ari?" Will whispered in confusion.

"It's not your fault, Daddy," Ari pulled away from Will and sat in his lap. Putting her hands on both sides of his face Ari said, "You said doing bad things doesn't make you bad."

Will nodded very slowly afraid to look away.

"And I love you," Ari promised. "You're the only one that's never left me, ever."

"I wouldn't," Will choked out, "I promise I wouldn't."

"But you won't be bad anymore?" Ari questioned.

"No," Will assured her, "I have definitely learned my lesson about being bad."

Ari nodded understandingly. Gently wiping away a few tears off of his face Ari asked, "Can I ask a question?"

"Anything you want," Will told her trying to get himself under control. He honestly had no idea how this was happening, how he had gotten so lucky.

"Who is everyone?" Ari inquired.

"What?" Will wasn't sure he understood the question.

"You said that you made everyone leave," Ari pointed out, "But who is everyone? I don't remember."

"Oh," Will inhaled and exhaled a few times. Looking over at Alex for guidance Will silently pleaded for some help.

"Everyone," Alex cleared his throat, "Would be a lot of people."

"People I know now?" Ari wondered.

"Yeah," Will told her. "Um, people like Lucas and Adrienne."

"I knew I didn't like them," Ari wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"And Justin," Alex added knowing that one might be a little bit harder to take.

"What?" Ari said. "But he…"

"Grandma Kate for a little bit too," Will knew they needed to be as honest as possible with Ari if she was really going to understand what happened.

"But-but they," Ari shook her head forlornly.

"And a few other people," Alex said, "That we aren't exactly talking to now."

_'Here it comes,_' Will thought. _'Now that she's getting it she's going to get mad at me for sure.'_

Ari slumped back against Will's chest. She wasn't certain she remembered any of them from before but she could recall how she felt. She could remember how sad she was and how often she saw her daddy crying. Just like she remembered a horrible, crippling pain in her chest whenever she would cry out for someone and they weren't there.

_'But I don't think that's who daddy said,'_ Ari thought. _'So who made me feel like that?'_

"Who else?" Ari forced out.

"Who else what?" Will rubbed against her back methodically.

"Who else left me?" Ari adjusted so she could lean against Will's chest, his arm supporting her head but she was still able to see him and Alex. "I know someone left me and it made me sad. Sadder than anyone else."

Closing her eyes tightly Ari tried as hard as she could to think, "It was a boy. He was there but sometimes he wasn't."

Will and Alex looked at each other carefully before they both agreed.

"You're right," Will lifted Ari up carefully. It bothered him a little that Ari wanted him to cradle her like a baby. "There was someone else."

"Remember when I first started seeing Alex?" Will pressed. "And I told you that he wouldn't be like it was before."

Ari nodded, "Yeah."

"That's because," Will kept looking to Alex for help. _'God I have no idea how to explain this.'_

"That's because," Alex took over for Will smoothly, "Daddy was with another guy back here, in Salem. And he was the one that left you. He's the one from your fairy tale."

"Oh," Ari whispered before turning her face against Will's chest. Now that Alex said that she could almost picture it, him.

"It's like I told you, baby girl," Will said in a gently voice, "I did something bad, a few things that were really mean, and he left."

"Left you," Ari argued, "But why did he leave me? Did I do something bad?"

"No," Will answered firmly, "No, of course not."

"Then why did he stay away?" Ari whimpered. "What did I do?"

"You didn't do anything," Alex put his free hand on Ari's leg. "It wasn't your fault."

"But-but it's not Daddy's fault," Ari insisted looking at Alex desperately. "Daddy isn't bad. Even when he's mean it's not for long and he says sorry. Why did that guy leave us?"

"I don't know," Will said pathetically. "I don't know how he could leave you because I would never do that. I would never be able to."

Ari sat up and put one arm around her daddy's neck and the other around Alex's, "I don't want you to leave. Don't leave!"

"No one is leaving you," Alex said in a tight voice, swallowing down a lump building in his throat.

"But he did," Ari wailed, fat tears rolling down her cheeks, "He left me and he didn't come back."

"And that had nothing to do with you," Will tried to tell her, "That wasn't your fault."

"Don't leave me," Ari cried harder. "I'll be better. I promise!"

"It's not your fault and we're never leaving," Alex wrapped one arm around her and kept the other around Will. "There is nothing you could do that would make us leave."

"Exactly," Will tried to keep his voice light and airy even though a part of him wanted to scream, "We love mommy even though she did something bad. We love grandma and she does bad things all the time."

"I can barely go a day without doing something to piss someone off," Alex pointed out.

"I did a lot of bad things and you still love me, right?" Will asked Ari only slightly afraid of her response.

"Yes," Ari practically screamed. "I'll always love you, forever and ever."

"That's how Alex and I feel about you," Will smiled at Ari. "There is absolutely nothing you could do or say that would change that."

Ari looked into her daddy's eyes for a moment, turning to look at Alex she finally nodded.

Ari rested her head against both of their shoulders for a moment. Closing her eyes again she tried to imagine who left her. She was so close to remembering, she just knew it.

Sitting up again Ari wiped her eyes and her nose with her hand. Lazily blinking Ari looked over at Alex and frowned slightly. She could remember dark hair, darker than Alex's._ 'And dark eyes,_' Ari recalled, '_Not like Alex's. But it seems familiar, like I'm missing something.' _Inhaling sharply Ari covered her eyes with her hands and started crying again.

"What is it?" Will instantly asked. He had seen the way Ari was staring at Alex and he got a sickening feeling in his stomach.

_'Well fuck,'_ Alex thought. _'Fuck, fuck, fuck.'_

"It was _that_ guy," Ari sobbed, "The one from earlier."

"What guy from earlier?" the next time Will saw Sonny he was going to kill him.

"At the hot chocolate place," Ari started to hyperventilate, "The one I bumped into. He left and he didn't-"

Seeing the green hue to Ari's skin Alex picked her up under her armpits and rushed to the bathroom. Alex made it just in time for Ari to throw up into the toilet.

Will sat down on the floor next to Ari and rubbed her back, "It's OK. It's alright."

Alex sat down on Ari's other side and set his jaw. _'I'm going to kill him. I'm going to fucking kill him.'_

"Daddy," Ari moaned.

Will turned over and started the bathtub, "It's OK, baby. It's OK."

"I got my dress dirty," Ari whispered as she looked down and saw the little bit of throw up.

Alex took off her shoes quickly, "We'll get it cleaned."

"I wanted grandma and grandpa to see me in it," Ari confessed before her face contorted into a sneer, "If they don't leave me."

"They won't leave you again," Alex said, "Because if they do I will beat the crap out of them."

"Good," Ari said menacingly.

Will shot Alex a disapproving look.

Alex shrugged not concerned at all before helping get Ari out of her dress.

Stepping into the warm water Ari pulled her legs to her chest and rested her head on her knees.

"Why did he leave me?" Ari asked them again.

Will shook his head, "He left because of me but I don't know why he stayed away from you."

"Is it because he didn't love me?" Ari sighed. "Am I bad?"

"Definitely not," Alex told her, "A pain in the ass, sure, but not bad."

Will found a washcloth under the sink and asked, "Do you want me to do it or you?"

"You," Ari replied in a small voice.

Gently but thoroughly cleaning Ari and washing her hair, Will said, "You didn't do a single thing wrong. Nothing was your fault."

Ari stared at Will with red-rimmed eyes and nodded.

Will, finished rinsing Ari off, said, "There's one more thing about everything I think we should talk about."

"What else?" Ari stared at her daddy sadly.

Alex moved closer to the tub, _'Might as well get everything out in the open.'_

"The guy that left?" Will took Ari's hand in his own again, "He wasn't my boyfriend like Alex is."

"What was he?" Ari demanded. Not liking the looks on her daddy or Alex's face Ari added, "Daddy?"

Taking a few moments to figure out how to explain Will said, "Daddy used to be married to him."

"What?" Ari gasped before recoiling slightly. "Daddy, no!"

"Yes," Will insisted. He knew how obsessed Ari had gotten with fairy tales and happily ever after's recently.

"But," Ari looked to Alex hoping he would tell her it wasn't true. "But, when you get married that means…"

"I told you," Alex said, "That getting married doesn't guarantee a happy ever after. It's complicated."

"But my story," Ari shook her head.

"Just like in your story," Alex told her, "Daddy was with someone he shouldn't have been and now he's with me."

Ari, dripping wet and still in the tub, jumped up and wrapped her arms around Alex.

"Don't leave," Ari begged, "Me or Daddy."

Suddenly soaking wet Alex patted Ari a few times on the back, "I promise."

Will chuckled a bit even though he felt awful. Grabbing a towel Will helped get Ari out of the tub and bundled up.

"Alex and I are never leaving you," Will told Ari. "Got it? There is literally nothing in this world that would ever take me away from you."

"Let's go pick out another pretty dress for you to wear, OK?" Will suggested when he saw Ari nod.

* * *

Will combed his fingers through Ari's hair as she made Alex lift up every single outfit she brought.

"No," Ari shook her head.

"This one?" Alex tried again.

"Mmm," Ari decided, "OK, I guess that one will have to work."

"Do you want us to call grandma and grandpa and go see them?" Will questioned softly.

"I don't know," Ari admitted.

"We don't have to see them ever again if you don't want to," Alex offered, "Anyone that hurt you."

"I want to see them," Ari said, "Just not right now, maybe later."

"In the interest of being completely honest," Alex tossed the outfit Ari picked out to the side and sat down on the bed. "I should probably tell you that the guy that left," Alex gave Ari a sad smile, "Is my brother."

Ari threw herself on the bed and sighed loudly. "Does that mean Joey and Vic left me too?" Ari wondered sadly. "Did everyone leave me? Grandma Sami too?"

"Nope," Alex lied down next to her. "The first time they came to see us at home was the first time you met them."

"And we ran to grandma Sami not from her," Will said gently lying down too.

Ari rolled onto her stomach and thought about everything that had happened.

_'Daddy did something bad and everyone left us all alone. But mommy did something bad and we don't leave her alone. We still love mommy. And when I do bad things daddy and Alex don't stay mad at me.'_

_'They said it wasn't my fault but I don't think it's daddy's fault. So whose fault is it?'_

Sitting up Ari asked, "Whose fault is it?"

"What do you mean?" Will questioned.

"If it's not my fault or your fault it has to be someone's," Ari explained. "So whose fault is it that we were alone and sad?"

"Um," Will had no idea how to explain to Ari that a lot of things contributed to what happened. A lot of mistakes were made and Ari was the one who was hurt the most in the end.

"Whose fault was it?" Ari asked heatedly one more time before standing up and grabbing the first thing she saw and tossing it across the room.

"Hey," Will jumped up when Ari tossed a small sculpture to the floor. "Ari, don't-"

"No," Ari screamed again, knocking everything that was on the dresser to the floor. "No! Why did he leave me?"

Alex put his hand on Will's arm and pulled him farther onto the bed. "Just let her get it out," Alex advised. "She'll feel better."

"But-" Will tried to say before Ari let out a guttural scream and threw her hair brush as hard as she could at the wall.

"Why did he leave me?" Ari shouted. "Why did he leave us? We weren't bad. We weren't."

Falling to a heap on the floor Ari started searching through her suitcase. Throwing things out and across the room Ari growled when she couldn't find what she wanted.

"What are you doing?" Will moved closer to Ari. He could handle seeing her sad and angry but this was something else.

"Where is it?" Ari shouted.

Alex pulled up one pillow on the bed and pulled out the stuffed bunny Ari always slept with. At the last session with Ari's therapist before they left the doctor had encouraged Ari to talk to her toy when she was angry instead of throwing things or yelling at people. Alex wasn't sure it would actually be helpful but he wasn't going to discourage her.

"Here," Alex said handing over the worn out bunny over to Ari.

Ari held the bunny tightly to her chest while shaking her head. It was one of the few toys that she had left from when they were living in Salem. It felt like she had always had him.

"Baby?" Will asked carefully not liking the look in her eyes.

With a deep breath Ari put the toy on the floor before screaming, "I hate you!"

"Ari," Will tried to reach out to her but Alex pulled him back.

"That's right," Alex praised Ari. "Get everything out, every hurt. Everything you want to tell him. Come on, you can do it."

Ari nodded before taking a few deep breaths, "I hate you!"

"You left me and daddy and you didn't come back," Ari shouted, "I wanted you to come back and you didn't. You left me and I hate you."

"I hate you," Ari repeated calmly, tears and snot running down her face, "I loved you but now I hate you."

Will leaned against Alex and covered his mouth with his hands, _'Oh god.'_

"It's OK," Alex whispered to Will. "She needs to do this. She's OK."

"I hate you and I don't need you," Ari choked out. "I have my daddy and my Alex and I don't need you. They love me and they'll do anything for me. They aren't gonna leave me, ever."

"I don't need you," Ari turned away from the bunny and scrambled for the bed.

Alex lifted Ari up and into his lap.

"You're alright, kid," Alex pet the long, damp strands of her hair. "We're right here."

"I don't need him," Ari sobbed. "I just need you."

"That's right, baby," Will agreed. "And we're not going anywhere."

Ari's shoulders heaved with the strength of her sobs and she clung onto Alex as tight as she could.

"He can't hurt you anymore," Alex promised. "No one here can, not anymore."

Ari nodded carefully before turning to look between her daddy and Alex.

"I love you," Ari told them. "Thank you for not leaving me."

"Never ever," Will promised before reaching out to rub against her wet cheek. "It's you and me forever."

"You and me and Alex," Ari clarified.

"Of course," Alex told her. Alex adjusted them so they were all three lying down, Ari squished between himself and Will.

"Do grandma and grandpa love me?" Ari questioned as she wiped against her eyes and nose again.

"Yes," Alex answered firmly. "Everyone loves you," Alex assured her. Internally cringing Alex added, "Because you're the best fucking thing in our lives, got it?"

Ari let out a small giggle. She loved it when Alex used bad words in front of her.

Combing his fingers through Ari's hair again Will said, "What do you want to do tonight? Do you want to stay in or go out?"

"I don't know," Ari admitted around a big yawn.

"After your nap you can figure it out," Alex suggested. "You've had a long day, drama queen."

Ari smiled softly, eyes drooping, "I like being called a queen."

"Is there anything we can do to make you feel better right now, baby girl?" Will questioned as he kissed the back of Ari's head.

Ari caught Alex's eyes and gave him a knowing look, "I'm sure you'll think of something."

Alex rolled his eyes, _'Great, that won't be difficult at all.'_

* * *

"That was literally the worst thing I've ever had to deal with," Will confessed as he hid his face in Alex's neck after they moved to the living room.

"Tell me about it," Alex agreed wrapping Will in his arms tightly. "That was fucking awful."

"Do you think she'll start getting better now?" Will asked desperately. "Do you think it helped or did it make everything worse?"

"I think eventually it will get better," Alex assured Will before guiding them over to the couch. "Now she knows the truth and it's a lot to handle but it will be easier to move past everything. She knows what happened and why and that it wasn't her fault."

"And hey," Alex chuckled a bit, "She didn't even get pissed at you."

"Well I'm sure when she's older and I tell her all the details she will be," Will admitted. "But god I've never felt so relieved in my life. She doesn't hate me. God, she said she loved me and that we were all she needed."

"Yeah that felt pretty damn good," Alex shook his head. Closing his eyes and lowering his nose to Will's hair Alex breathed in the familiar, comforting scent.

"She really loves you," Will pointed out, voice and eyes wet. "I mean, we both knew that, but god, she loves you so much."

"Probably as much as I love her," Alex said in a small voice. "And you."

Will faced Alex again and chuckled a bit when he saw how red his eyes were, "I know that I've never really asked you for anything before. But please don't leave us. I could handle it but she couldn't, not again."

"That's not an option," Alex pressed his lips together, "Ever, OK. If you need me to promise I will."

"I don't need a promise," Will closed his eyes feeling a few tears falling down his cheeks, "Just tell me. You've never lied to me before. I just need you to tell me."

Alex cradled Will's jaw with one hand, "I'm never leaving."

Will nodded before kissing Alex firmly.

* * *

Ari dragged her feet into the front room and paused when she saw her daddy sleeping on top of Alex.

Alex, noticing Ari, beckoned her forward with his hand.

Ari moved forward and sat on the coffee table in front of Alex.

"How do you feel?" Alex asked in a quiet voice so he wouldn't wake up Will.

"My head hurts," Ari confessed. "Do I have to take medicine?"

"I think so," Alex told her firmly. "That's why daddy made sure to bring it."

Licking his lips Alex asked, "Were you serious, earlier and yesterday on the plane? Is that what you really want?"

Ari nodded, "That's what I want."

_'Of course it is,'_ Alex closed his eyes.

"What do you want to do now that you're up?" Alex asked her needing to change the subject.

"I don't know," Ari shook her head. "I don't want to go anywhere but I don't want us to be alone either."

Before Alex could respond his phone started loudly ringing, "Shit."

Will, startling at the sound, sat up a bit so Alex could reach his phone.

"What?" Alex barked into the phone pulling Will back down against him.

"You're always so polite on the phone," Joey remarked, "So, I have a plan and I think you're going to love it."

"If you came up with it I'm sure I'll hate it," Alex observed.

"Trust me," Joey said seriously, "All three of you are going to like this."

* * *

"Here you go," Will handed the plastic cup with the liquid Tylenol in it towards Ari, "You have to drink it all."

Dutifully Ari drank the medicine before making a disgusted face, "Why can't they make medicine taste good?"

"Because then you'd want to take it," Will said. "Now, do you want your hair up or down?"

"Down," Ari decided. Seeing the mess of things she threw around the room Ari sighed before finding her brush.

Handing it to her daddy Ari said, "I'm sorry I made a mess."

"It's OK," Will replied as he sat down behind her on the bed and started brushing her hair. "But we need to find a better outlet for when you get angry."

"No more throwing things?" Ari double checked.

"No," Will informed her. "No more throwing or yelling."

"Fine," Ari agreed with a pout. "Can I yell at my bunny?"

"Yes, that's fine," Will decided. "Did it make you feel better?"

Ari nodded, "Yes. I'm still sad but I feel better now."

"Do you believe me and Alex when we say we aren't leaving you?" Will wondered, "That when we go it's only for a little bit but we'll come back?"

"I think so," Ari answered. "You've always come back for me."

"And I always will," Will assured her. "Always."

"Is this going to be OK for you, now?" Will questioned as he finally helped Ari with her tangled hair.

"I want to try," Ari admitted. "I don't want it to be like before when we were sad all the time."

"It's whatever you want, princess," Will told her firmly. "Whatever you're comfortable with."

"I want to try," Ari repeated firmly, "But you'll be there for me if I change my mind, right?"

* * *

Alex answered the door with an unenthusiastic greeting, "Get in."

"Your manners are astounding," Joey complimented. "I feel the love, really."

"I've had a shitty day," Alex snorted, "Don't start with me."

"Right," Joey nodded. "Rough time in prison?"

"Sadly that was probably the highlight," Alex admitted.

"What happened?" Joey questioned.

"We had to explain to the kid why her and Will left Salem," Alex told his brother. "Everything."

"And that didn't go well, I take it," Joey stated.

"Not sure what was worse the puking or the screaming," Alex flopped on the couch. "I did kind of like when she started yelling about hating Sonny though. That cheered me up."

"Uh huh," Joey said completely unsure what he's supposed to do with that information.

"Don't worry about it," Alex waved his hand. "Just do me a favor?"

"What?" Joey wondered.

"If you getting close to her is just a game or some weird ass thing you've got about making everyone like you," Alex seriously explained, "Don't do it."

"I'm not," Joey insisted. "I want to get to know her. I know how much you care about her, how much you care about Will. I just want to be close to you."

"OK," Alex nodded. Reaching over and smacking Joey across the back of the head Alex added, "God, you're such a wimp."

Ari and Will came out into the front room together.

"Hey," Will greeted Joey.

"Hi," Joey smiled. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to act now. _'Do I act like everything is normal or do I treat her with kiddie gloves?'_

"Hi," Ari said shyly. "Are you here to play with me?"

"Well," Joey cleared his throat, "Actually, yes. And I've got a surprise for Alex and your daddy."

* * *

_Will, true to his word, was staying out of the situation. He knew that despite how stubborn Ari and Alex both were eventually they would come to an understanding._

'If this is going to work out then they need to solve their problems together,'_ Will decided. _'They both said things that hurt the other but they'll figure it out.'

_Sitting in awkward silence at the dining room table Will reminded himself, _'You're staying out of it.'

_Not able to take it anymore Will stood up with his plate, "I'm going in the kitchen. You two figure these things out."_

_Ari and Alex watched Will walk the few feet away and into the kitchen. Catching the others eye Ari and Alex both turned away from each other. Neither wanted to be the first to give in and say something first._

_Alex tapped his fingers across the table. _'You are not giving into a 4 year old. You are not giving into a 4 year old.'

_Ari glanced back at Alex and frowned, "I'm not saying I'm sorry."_

_"I didn't ask you to," Alex shrugged before taking a bite of dinner._

_Ari, annoyed Alex wasn't talking to her, huffed, "Because you were mean to me."_

_Alex lifted one eyebrow and made a dismissive sound, "You're one to talk."_

_"I'm never mean," Ari argued._

_"Screaming at people that you hate them isn't mean?" Alex asked her bluntly. "So if I screamed that at you I wouldn't be mean?"_

_When Ari didn't respond Alex added, "I see. Not wanting to play with you is mean but you screaming you hate me is fine?"_

_"You said you didn't want me," Ari shouted._

_"No, I didn't," Alex stated. "I said I don't want to be your dad and I don't."_

_"Why not?" Ari's face started turning red and her eyes started watering._

_"Because you already got one," Alex shrugged. "You don't need another."_

_"Then what are you?" Ari demanded._

_"Whatever you want me to be," Alex said._

_Ari nibbled on her bottom lip, "I don't want you to be my daddy. My daddy is my daddy." Thinking about it Ari decided, "You're just my Alex."_

_"Cool," Alex answered._

_"Alex," Ari whispered. Waiting for him to look at her Ari said, "I don't hate you."_

_"I know you don't," Alex responded. "I still didn't want to hear it."_

_Ari pushed away from the table, ran to the other side and climbed into Alex's lap, "I love you and I'm sorry. Don't be mad at me anymore."_

_"I'm not mad at you," Alex put his arm around the kid so she wouldn't fall. "But you don't get to talk to me like that anymore."_

_"OK," Ari agreed reluctantly. "Just don't leave me or daddy, especially daddy. He would be sad again."_

_"Well we can't have that," Alex nodded. "But I'm not going anywhere. And for the record I love you too. Both of you."_

* * *

"So," Joey said pursing his lips while looking at Ari sitting on the couch. "It's just you and me kid. What should we do?"

"What are daddy and Alex doing?" Ari demanded first.

"They're upstairs on a date. They need alone time," Joey answered vaguely. "Besides I have daddy and Alex's number. We can call them if you need them. Or just to bug them. That could be fun too."

"Do you need them?" Joey double checked getting a little freaked out. _'Alex said she had a hard day. And she isn't used to letting them out of her sight. Oh my god, what if she goes crazy and I don't know what to do?' _

Ari twirled her hair around one finger while she contemplated the question.

'_Do I need them?'_ Ari thought. _'I miss them and I want them all the time. But daddy and Alex said they wouldn't leave me. They're on a date. They'll come back.' _

'_They love me too much to ever leave me. That's what they said. Daddy and Alex don't lie to me.' _

Taking a deep breath Ari said, "No, not yet. Maybe later."

"Oh," Joey was surprised. "Huh, well, then what should we do?"

"Play," Ari shook her head giving Joey a disappointed look, "Duh."

* * *

"Why exactly are we going to the roof?" Alex wondered as he and Will got into the elevator.

"There's a rooftop terrace," Will explained, "And a pool. There were always parties up there during summer. Of course I don't know why we're going up there in November but who knows."

"Well Joey was never very good about seasons so he's probably all confused," Alex shrugged.

"And that's the man you're trusting to watch our child?" Will gave Alex a mock judgmental look. He knew Joey was a good guy who wouldn't let anything happen to Ari. _'Sure he acts like a goofball but I know when it comes down to it he can be serious. Plus Alex would kill him.' _

As the elevator doors opened and Will and Alex stepped out into the brisk air the two were surprised.

"Huh," Alex hummed as he started looking around.

The rooftop was how Will remembered it. Cabanas, loungers and outdoor furniture surrounded by plants, flowers and glass fireplaces. The large pool was fluctuating between multicolored lights. One table was set for dinner with a bottle of wine already breathing. Despite how large the place looked they were entirely alone.

"Wow," Will said in awe. "This is not what I was expecting."

"Guess Joey wasn't kidding when he said he had a surprise for us," Alex remarked as he put one hand low on Will's back and guided him to the table. "Might as well put this all to use."

* * *

"I need a Barbie," Ari decided when she was done playing with her ponies.

"OK," Joey figured he could handle that, "Are they in your bag?"

"No," Ari told him, "They're at home. You need to buy me new ones."

"What?" Joey questioned. "Where am I going to get Barbies?"

"The store," Ari supplied helpfully.

"We're not going to the store," Joey shook his head. "Will would kill me if I took you out in public. He didn't even want to leave me with you."

"Why not?" Ari wrinkled her nose curiously.

"Because I am apparently irresponsible," Joey rolled his eyes. "Whatever I am so responsible."

"That doesn't solve my Barbie problem," Ari stated with a shrug. "So get me a Barbie."

"I don't think that's how it works," Joey said. _'Wait, remember what Alex said. She's sneaky and will try to con me into whatever she wants.' _

"But Jooooooooeeeeey," Ari crawled towards him and clasped her hands under her chin. "I really, really want one. Please?"

"Get back," Joey jumped up from the floor and pointed dramatically at Ari. "I'm not falling for your demon charms."

Ari crossed her arms and huffed, "We'll see about that."

* * *

Will reclined next to Alex on the rooftop terrace. Will wasn't sure how Joey had managed to get the entire place reserved but he was grateful. The short time that Will lived here he had never seen it so empty.

"This is kind of nice," Alex said as he felt the warmth of the glass fireplace drifting towards them on the patio lounger they were sharing.

"It is," Will admitted turning on his side so he could nuzzle closer to Alex.

"It's kind of weird being here though, right?" Alex questioned. "In Salem, I mean."

"In a way," Will started to say, "There's something about this place that makes me want to curl into myself, protect myself. But I don't have to do that with you. It's kind of confusing."

"You've never had to do that with me," Alex reminded Will as he rubbed up and down Will's arm.

"I think one of the reasons I was able to fall for you so hard and fast," Will confessed, "Is because of how safe you make me feel. Not physically safe but emotionally I guess. You've never judged me. Whenever we have a disagreement you don't yell at me or throw my mistakes in my face. You just get me, I guess."

"You've never judged me either," Alex pointed out. "And for every bad thing you've ever done I've probably done something worse."

"I don't think you've done anything that bad," Will insisted. "But at least you and I can admit what we've done wrong now."

"Ditto," Alex agreed. "Besides, you could be a serial killer and I'd probably still want you."

"Only probably?" Will looked up at him and pouted.

Giving Will a small smile Alex said, "Only if you took out who I wanted. Besides I'd probably be right there beside you."

"Modern day Bonnie and Clyde," Will chuckled.

The two laid in comfortable silence for a few minutes just enjoying the warmth of the fire and each other's bodies.

"Do you think Ari is OK?" Will finally asked what he had been thinking about since they started dinner.

"I'm sure she's having a good time bossing Joey around," Alex answered. "Although I guess I was pretty surprised she agreed to let us go."

"Yeah," Will agreed. "I know that's what we wanted, for her to start easing up on her dependence, but I didn't expect it so soon."

"Tell me about it," Alex shook his head slightly. "I thought for sure she would be clinging onto us all night."

"Me too," Will stuck his lower lip out slightly. He loved that Ari was willing to be with Joey for a few hours and only needed a little bit of convincing. But at the same time he was having a hard time letting go.

"She's fine," Alex assured Will. "If anything Joey is the one that is going to need help. He is so unprepared to deal with the kid."

"Why do I get the feeling we're going to go back downstairs and find out that Ari has taken over the world?" Will said only half joking.

* * *

"Help," Joey said into his phone. "I thought I could watch her by myself but I can't."

"It's a Saturday night and you expect me to just drop whatever I'm doing for this?" Vic rolled his eyes slightly.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Joey replied, "Am I interrupting you sitting on the couch watching reruns? Just get to the DiMera Towers and help me!"

"What could she possibly be doing that's so bad?" Vic turned off his reruns and got up from the couch and turned off the TV. _'Ugh I hate it when he's right.'_

"I ordered pizza for us," Joey explained, "And she didn't like the pepperoni so she threw them at my face and laughed."

Chuckling a bit, Vic grabbed his jacket from the front hall, "What's with that kid and throwing things? And that doesn't sound so bad."

"Vic, you don't understand," Joey hissed into the phone while keeping an eye on Ari as she was coloring, "I just paid $75 for some dude from the toy store to deliver two Barbies. I'm afraid of what I'm going to be talked into next."

"Fine," Vic said trying not to sound as amused as he was. "Wait, did you say DiMera Towers? What are Alex and Will doing there?"

"Chad hooked them up with an apartment," Joey explained. "And let me tell you if we ever grow up and want to live on our own we should totally move here. Also, whenever I do get a girlfriend I have the perfect date planned."

"Uh huh," Vic hummed not really listening, "I'll see you and Ari in a bit."

'_Hmm,'_ Vic decided, _'I better make a pit stop on my way.'_

As he walked out the door he was unaware of his uncle Victor lingering near the doorway eavesdropping on his conversation.

* * *

Will gently ran his hands through Alex's hair. He loved watching how malleable and relaxed Alex became the instant he started petting him.

Remembering something, Will asked Alex, "Hey, what were you and Ari talking about on the plane?"

"What?" Alex tried to stall.

"When I woke up," Will tugged on Alex's hair slightly, "You've both mentioned something about it a few times. What were you talking about?"

"Nothing much," Alex evasively said, "Just something she was thinking about. You know her. She's got a big mouth and talks too much."

"OK," Will narrowed his eyes a bit, "I don't believe that for one second."

Alex turned his head so he wouldn't be looking at Will's eyes. _'Can't deny him anything when I see them.'_

Will sat up and took Alex's hand, "Now you have to tell me."

"No I don't," Alex replied frankly.

"Alex," Will wasn't sure if he should be concerned or amused. Alex normally told him everything, good or bad. "Come on."

"It's nothing," Alex crossed his arms over his chest, "Just crazy talk. You don't need to know."

"But I want to know," Will lifted one eyebrow. "You don't keep things from me."

"I'm not keeping anything from you," Alex insisted loudly. "I just don't want to say anything because it's dumb."

"Why is it dumb?" Will demanded not understanding where Alex was coming from.

"Because it's nothing you're interested in," Alex stated, "You aren't interested and you won't care. So it doesn't matter."

"It does to me," Will laid back down. His fingers went back to Alex's hair trying to get him to relax. "But if you don't want to tell me you don't have to, I guess."

"Ugh," Alex groaned, "Fine. You wanna know what we were talking about?" Before Will could answer Alex added, "We were talking about getting married."

"What about getting married?" Will wondered not sure why Alex was so worked up.

"The kid wanted to know why I haven't married you, yet," Alex closed his eyes and rushed out quickly.

Will frowned, completely taken aback, "What did you tell her?"

"That we didn't want to," Alex said in a dull tone.

"I-," Will's frown became more pronounced as well as his confusion, "I thought we both didn't want to get married. That's what we agreed a while ago at least."

Alex shrugged feeling uncomfortable.

"I don't understand what's going on here," Will told Alex, "Is this something we need to talk about again?"

"Dunno," Alex mumbled not wanting to get into it.

"Alex," Will was trying to be patient but by now he knew when he needed to push to get Alex to talk, "We were just talking about being able to tell each other anything without judgements."

Alex halfheartedly glared at Will, "I don't like it when you sound logical."

"Well I don't like it when you shut down instead of just telling me the truth," Will shot back.

"I don't know what you want me to say," Alex finally got out. "I don't know what I want."

"Do you want to be with me?" Will started off simply.

Rolling his eyes Alex sneered, "Like that's even a fucking question."

_'OK, we're at the swearing portion of the conversation,'_ Will thought.

"Well good," Will took Alex's hand again, "I want to be with you. I love you. I just don't know how I feel about getting married."

"Getting married or getting married to me?" Alex quipped before he could stop himself.

"Getting married," Will gave him a stern look, "It's not like there is something wrong with you and that's why I don't want to. I never, ever thought I wanted to get married. And the first time it took practically everyone in my family convincing me," Will shrugged.

Alex sneered and looked away from Will. For all the times he said he was fine with Will's past Alex wasn't entirely sure he was. If he was being honest with himself Alex hated the fact that Will, who didn't even really believe in marriage, did something with Sonny he was never going to do with him.

Will, seeing that Alex wasn't going to say anything, continued, "I know that you and I agree on marriage being just a state of mind. Getting married or not getting married does not take away from what I feel for you, how committed I am to you."

"Come on," Will pressed starting to get a bit desperate.

"I know," Alex said loudly, "I know that it's not what we want exactly. I know that most of the time they don't even work out. That it just causes more problems than anything else."

"Then I don't understand what is happening," Will admitted. "Is this all because of what Ari said? That she wants us to get married? You know how into fairy tales she's been."

"I don't know," Alex sighed, still refusing to look at Will.

"Is Ari emotionally blackmailing you?" Will demanded. He knew exactly how devious his daughter could be.

"Probably," Alex acknowledged. "She just," Alex finally looked over at Will, "She kept saying how she wanted us to be together forever and how she wanted us to get married. And earlier when you asked what would make her feel better she gave me that look."

"That look is trouble," Will sighed.

"I know it's stupid to let it get to me but I keep thinking that the only thing that's ever going to make her accept everything is to just give her what she wants," Alex confessed.

"God, did she seriously make you think the only way she was going to feel better was if we got married?" Shaking his head Will groaned, "She really is something else."

"Well she learned from the best," Alex quipped easily.

Playing with Will's fingers nervously Alex reluctantly admitted, "But maybe it made me think about it. A little, maybe."

"OK," Will eased back down against Alex on the lounge chair. "What part of it are you thinking about?"

"I don't know," Alex groaned, "The being with you forever part I guess."

"I don't want you thinking about this because Ari talked you into it," Will said. "And you and I already know that we want to be together. Getting married isn't going to change that. All it's going to do is make it legal."

"Would anything even change?" Alex asked in a sort of resigned voice. "If we were married."

"Not really," Will decided. "It would just feel different."

"What does it feel like?" Alex wondered. Normally he did everything he could to avoid talking about what it was like to be married. _'But this is different.'_

"It just feels like more," Will reluctantly said after thinking it over a bit, "That everything is official and you're legally bound to each other. I don't know. It's hard to describe."

"I see," Alex said blankly.

"It doesn't mean what we feel right now isn't as important," Will tried to reassure Alex. He didn't want him thinking that just because they weren't married they would never feel that special something.

"Yeah," Alex stated, "I feel dumb even thinking about this."

"You're not dumb," Will argued. Grabbing hold of Alex's arm and hugging it Will said, "You're cute."

"That's even worse, don't say that," Alex complained. "I am not cute."

"You want to give Ari her happy ending," Will smiled, "You are beyond cute. You want a fairy tale ending."

"Ugh," Alex covered his ears, "Stop it."

Kissing Alex on the jaw, Will snuggled back against him and laced their fingers together. "Maybe we should really think about it."

"About getting married?" Alex clarified.

"Talk about it with the three of us," Will added, "It doesn't mean it's going to happen or that it won't. Besides isn't that what I'm supposed to be doing this weekend? Letting go and moving on or whatever."

Alex closed his eyes and started to laugh.

"What?" Will questioned, smiling at how the tension in Alex was loosening and he was getting back to his normal self.

"If you married me you would finally have surpassed your mom in something," Alex chuckled, chest heaving with the strength of his laughter.

It took Will a few moments to get it. Smacking Alex in the chest Will said, "Yeah, she was only engaged to Austin. But me? Oh no, I can go all out and actually marry brothers."

"At least it's not at the same time," Alex pointed out.

Will burst into laughter, "Yeah because that would work out well."

"Gabi and I could share a jail cell since I would be forced to kill him," Alex offered with a smirk.

"That would be a happy visit for Ari," Will rolled his eyes.

"Enough talk about this crap," Alex pushed Will away from him and reached for their wine glasses. After handing Will his, Alex said, "We're up here all alone, just you and me."

Taking a large gulp of his drink Will bit his lower lip, "And?"

"And," Alex appraised Will, looking over his face and chest, looking him up and down, "We're here," Alex gestured to the sky, "In this stupid town. Everything is out in the open with Ari and with us."

"It's kind of a relief, yeah," Will agreed. "And it's much easier to handle with you here."

"I love you," Alex said easily, "I just want to be with you."

* * *

"Oh thank god," Joey said when he opened the door and dragged Vic inside. "I have severely underestimated my skills here."

"She's four and a midget," Vic took his coat off, hiding a large box behind his back. "But don't worry. I'm here to help."

"Ari," Joey called, "Can you come out here?"

"No," Ari answered from inside the bedroom.

"Why?" Joey wondered in an exasperated voice.

"Because I don't want to," Ari told him honestly.

"Vic's here," Joey said, "Do you want to say hello?"

"No," Ari replied. "I'm busy."

"Do you see what I'm dealing with?" Joey turned to his brother. "She doesn't want to do anything."

"You do know that you're the one in charge, right?" Vic shook his head.

"I tried to tell her that," Joey shrugged, "She told me she was in charge and I had to do what she said."

"Well then," Vic rolled his eyes. "You two are a bad combination."

"Ari, get your butt out here," Vic yelled firmly.

"OK," Ari agreed easily.

"What the hell?" Joey glared.

"What?" Vic questioned. "You just gotta talk to her like you're Alex."

* * *

Will dragged his fingers through Alex's thick hair. Alex fell to pieces when his hair was touched but whenever Will would dig and pull Alex really lost it.

"Fuck," Alex groaned against Will's lips, clutching tightly at Will's shirt.

"Mmmhmm," Will encouraged, yanking harshly, enjoying the way Alex would squirm and pant against him.

"Want," Alex tried to get out only for Will to bite at his lower lip.

"Want what?" Will teased, feeling playful.

"You," Alex finally said, pushing Will into the lounge chair, "Right now."

Looking around at their surroundings, the open air and relatively public setting, Will harshly gripped Alex's hair again, "OK."

* * *

"Hey, princess," Vic greeted when he saw Ari skipping into the room.

"Hi," Ari smiled at Vic before turning to glare at Joey. "I ran out of paper. I need more or I can't finish my pictures."

"Uh," Joey tried to think. Spotting a roll of paper towels in the kitchen Joey ran and grabbed it. "Here," Joey bent down on one knee and formally presented it to her.

Shaking her head Ari crossed her arms, "I can't draw on that."

Joey turned to Vic with wide, desperate eyes. "Help me," he spat out in a not so whispered whisper.

"I think I've got something you might like," Vic said before pulling out what was behind his back.

"Present," Ari shouted happily before throwing the paper towels at Joey. "Gimme, gimme, gimme."

Immediately ripping off all of the paper and opening the box Ari squealed in delight. Inside was an art supply kit with several pads of paper, crayons, markers and colored pencils.

"I love it," Ari cheered before hugging the kit to her chest.

Ari grabbed Vic's hand and dragged him with her back towards the bedroom, "Come on. Come on." Seeing Joey trying to follow behind them Ari held up one hand to stop him, "Not you."

"Wait a second," Joey said once Ari and Vic left, "What just happened here?"

Looking around the empty living room, listening to Ari and Vic chatting in the bedroom, Joey came to the conclusion, "He's trying to take my spot as the favorite."

* * *

Will tossed his head back against the lounge chair and groaned, "Fuck, fuck, fuck."

Taking as much of Will's length into his mouth as he could Alex moaned when Will pulled on his hair. He couldn't take the whole thing the way Will could but Alex more than made up for it with the use of his hands.

'_And with Will yanking on my hair like that I might fucking blow before he does,'_ Alex whimpered slightly.

Rubbing himself against the chair for some form of relief Alex twisted his wrist while digging his tongue into the slit at the top of Will's cock.

"Alex," Will praised, "S'good."

Looking up at Will through his lashes Alex smirked slightly and really began to work him over. He was bound and determined to get Will spilling across his tongue first.

* * *

"I hate you," Joey declared when Vic walked back into the living room to get to the kitchen.

"What?" Vic innocently looked at Joey. "We're just coloring together."

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing," Joey stood up from the couch and pointed in Vic's face.

"What could I possibly be doing?" Vic shrugged before walking into the kitchen for a glass of water.

"Oh, I know," Joey said indignantly. "I know everything and it's not going to work."

"Oh it's already working," Vic stated putting the glass of water down on the counter. Pulling out a picture from his pocket Vic triumphantly declared, "A picture of Ari and her favorite uncle, Vic."

Snatching the paper out of Vic's hands Joey inspected it carefully, "That's not you."

"Excuse me?" Vic huffed.

"It's clearly me," Joey decided.

"It's me," Vic said, "It looks just like me."

"We look the exact same," Joey argued. "And you are not going to win."

"Oh just watch me," Vic smiled widely before going back into the bedroom.

* * *

"God, I love you so much," Alex grunted against Will's neck.

"I know you do," Will laughed. His fist was working over Alex quickly. Will could tell how close Alex to coming before he even touched him.

"Close," Alex warned, teeth digging into Will's shoulder.

"Good," Will huffed before ripping Alex away from his neck by his hair.

"Fuck," Alex screamed immediately falling over the edge.

Will continued moving his fist, keeping his grip firm and sure, until Alex pushed him away.

"Love you," Alex sighed before shaking Will's hand out of his hair and kissing him softly.

"Love you too," Will stated gently pecking Alex's lips over and over.

* * *

Vic walked out of the bedroom with his shoulders slumped and a sheepish expression on his face.

"What did you do?" Joey questioned jumping to his feet from the couch.

"She kicked me out," Vic reluctantly admitted.

"Ha," Joey laughed pointing at Vic and throwing his head back, "I knew it! I'm still the favorite."

"Oh shut up," Vic grumbled, crossing his arms. "At least she wanted me around at all."

Before Joey could reply Ari walked out of the bedroom with something in her hands.

"Where did you find that?" Joey, eyes wide and horrified, pointed at Ari's hand.

"In Alex's bag," Ari answered truthfully.

Vic, realizing what she was holding, felt his jaw drop, "Wh-why were you going through his bag?"

"I was bored," Ari shrugged. "And that's what I always do."

"Uh huh," Joey nodded with an overly bright smile. "Why don't you just hand them over?"

"No," Ari shook her head, "We're going to use it."

"Together?" Joey jumped back dramatically.

Ari gave him a strange look as she dangled it in front of her, "Well who else am I going to throw the water at?"

"Oh," Vic put his hand on his chest, "Right, water balloons. That's what it's for."

"Have you used one before?" Joey wondered curiously as he followed Ari into the bathroom.

"No," Ari admitted, "I've never even seen one before. But there's a whole box in Alex's bag."

"Wait, really?" Vic shared a look with Joey. "I would have thought Alex would keep those around in places they shouldn't be."

"No, never," Ari informed them. "Although I did see Daddy give the box to Alex and say it would be rude to leave a mess in a strange bed. I don't know what that means though 'cause water balloons are always messy."

"Oh dear god," Vic covered his eyes. "We are not cut out for this."

"Who should we throw them at?" Ari asked as she stood on the toilet and started filling the condom with water.

"Hmm," Joey stroked his chin pretending to be considering.

Vic caught his eye and nodded, "Is anyone else bothered that they didn't bother to bring the water balloons with them on their date?"

* * *

"I can't believe Joey thought of everything except napkins," Will said as he wiped the remnants on his hand over Alex's t-shirt.

"Wouldn't be the first time we've had to wipe our come off with a shirt," Alex shrugged before leaning back on the lounge chair with his hands behind his head.

"A condom would fix that," Will offered. "We even brought them."

"You got me in the habit of not using them," Alex pointed out. "So it's your fault."

"Uh huh," Will rolled his eyes before moving in close to Alex. Relaxing and closing his eyes Will grabbed Alex's left hand and looked it over, considering any future possibilities.

Hearing a strange creaking sound Alex looked behind them but didn't see anything.

'_Weird,'_ he decided.

"We should probably get back," Alex said. "Go check on the kid and the big kid."

"Yeah," Will agreed even though he didn't move to get up. "Joey is probably severely outmatched."

As another strange rustling sound occurred Alex frowned, "Seriously what the fuck is that sound?"

Before Will could reply they were pelted with rubber and water.

"Ahh," Will shrieked before jumping off the chair and shivering. "Oh my god," Will shouted.

"Hey," Alex yelled hobbling up and trying to defend himself. "What the fuck?"

"Ow," Will shouted getting splattered in the face. "That one didn't break," Will complained before looking down and seeing a condom. "Oh for god's sake," Will complained.

Ari, excitedly throwing the balloons at her daddy and Alex, cheered when one burst against Alex's chest, "Ha!"

"You are so dead," Alex threatened when he saw not one but two of his brothers and Ari huddled together behind the cabana they were under.

"Not if you can't catch us," Joey said before throwing his last water-condom-balloon at Alex, throwing a cackling Ari over his shoulder and running for the stairs with Vic right behind him.

"Those assholes," Alex groaned before grabbing his and Will's jacket and making sure the fireplaces were turned off.

Shivering slightly Will pushed the button for the elevator, "What are the chances of us getting to our floor before they do?"

"Doesn't matter," Alex stated moving up and down to try to keep warm, "I'm going to kill all three of them."

"At least someone got to use the condoms," Will muttered as the elevator doors closed in front of them.

* * *

Author's note:

Next chapter will be their final day in Salem. There was a lot going on in this chapter. Ari isn't exactly over anything that happened but she's starting to make sense of it. It'll take time though. Hopefully her reactions made some sense.

Please review and let me know what you thought.

Thank you for reading!

And, of course, I owe iluvh0rs3s a big thank you. Thank you for listening to my questions, ideas, complaints and ramblings. I would never get as far as I have with this fic without you.


	12. Chapter 12

"Well it sounds like you were able to calm her down nicely," the therapist said over the phone to Will.

"I'm just worried about what we're going to do now," Will confessed. He didn't like having to call her every time Ari got upset but Will really was at a loss now. He was so afraid he was going to do or say something that would undo all the progress they had made.

The first thing Will did after he woke up that morning was call Ari's therapist. Ari, thankfully, was still fast asleep. She wore herself out messing around with Joey and Vic the night before especially once they came back and Alex chased all three around the apartment.

After giving a few hugs goodbye, a quick shower and a story Ari was out like a light. For the first time in a long time Ari had slept through the whole night and way into the morning.

'_And I could not be more grateful,'_ Will decided watching as Alex tried to find a restaurant that would deliver them breakfast.

"What do you mean?" the woman asked over the line.

"We're probably going to see a lot of people and I don't know if Ari is going to be comfortable with them. If she isn't I don't really know how to control her emotions. She gets so angry so quickly," Will told her. "I don't want anything or anyone to set her off and have her throwing a tantrum or having a breakdown again."

"I want you to explain to her when you go out today that you might be seeing some people and to remind her of different strategies she needs to be using when she gets upset," the woman informed Will. A lot of the time the woman was aware that in cases like this one it was just as much training the parent as it was the child. _'Definitely in this case,'_ the woman thought knowing that Will was a pushover most of the time when it came to his daughter.

'_But Will is getting better,'_ the woman conceded, _'Now if I could just get Alex to stop encouraging both of their bad behaviors they'd be golden.' _

"OK, I will," Will nodded anxiously fiddling with the strings of his sweatpants.

"Have you thought about using the reset rule we talked about?" the woman wondered already knowing what the answer would be.

"…I thought about it," Will told her. "I just haven't really done it yet."

"Well you should," the woman resisted rolling her eyes. "It's just a way to get her to think about what she's doing in that moment and how to fix it."

"I will do my best," Will promised. Sometimes he didn't like talking to the therapist. He always felt like she was judging his every move_. 'I'd like to think I'm doing pretty good with this parenting thing all things considered.' _

"I know you will," the woman said. "Let me know how everything goes when you get back."

"I will," Will assured her. "Thanks for letting me call again."

"That's what I'm here for," she laughed before saying, "Goodbye, Will."

Will hung up his phone and wandered over to where Alex was sitting on the couch.

Curling up next to Alex, Will said, "Did you get breakfast figured out?"

"Yes," Alex snorted. "As soon as I said my last name they were ready to jump through hoops for me. How about you?"

"Guess what she told me?" Will pulled an annoyed face.

"That you need to be firm and stop giving the kid whatever she wants?" Alex pretty much figured. He knew the two of them were suckers for the kid. While Alex liked to pretend it was all Will he knew he was just as bad about giving into her as well.

'_Ugh, when did this become my life?'_ Alex wondered only slightly annoyed.

"Pretty much," Will confirmed. "I don't think I'm that bad although one does have to think about how healthy their kid is when she runs around a strange office building trying to fire people."

"That was funny," Alex defended. "And she was right about that chick at the club yesterday. She did take too long on simple drinks. She should have been fired."

"Uh huh," Will rolled his eyes. "She still doesn't need to say it to people's faces."

"It's character building," Alex shrugged. "If they can't handle criticism from a four year old than they've got bigger problems."

"If you say so," Will shook his head before standing up.

Looking around the apartment Will was amazed at how messy it was considering they had only been there for a short while. Grabbing all of Ari's toys and tossing them in her bag Will started gathering her drawings. As he started stacking them together Will looked them over.

A few of them were Ari in various dresses and crowns. Some pictures were of the toys she had said she wanted. Some pictures had various family members. Will's favorite one had to be the picture of Ari, Alex and Will together. He wasn't entirely sure what they were doing but Ari was in a fancy dress and Will and Alex were in matching outfits.

'_That's so cute,'_ Will happily thought before shoving the pictures into Ari's bag as well. Cleaning up the rest of the apartment, not wanting to scramble to pack when it was time to leave later, Will was glad that Ari wasn't strong enough to cause any damage when she threw all those things during her fit yesterday.

Remembering the time Chad and Sonny had to hold him back after Gabi broke up with him Will frowned, _'Damn, Ari really is just like me.'_

"So," Alex said, admiring Will as he kept bending over to pick up toys, books and papers, "What the hell are we even going to do today?"

"Our flight leaves pretty late," Will reminded Alex. "We should probably see Chad again and thank him for letting us stay here and whatnot."

"I'm sure my dad and your grandma want to see us again but I don't know how the kid is going to handle that," Alex pointed out.

"We'll have to ask her once she wakes up," Will nodded before flashing Alex a wide grin. "How crazy is it that she's still asleep?"

"It's about damn time she start getting back to normal," Alex reached out to snatch Will's hand and yank him onto the couch. "One of these days she'll stay in her own room and we can get back to having some early morning fun."

"Is that all you think about?" Will teased, crawling over Alex's lap and settling down.

"You're the one bending over all over the place," Alex insisted. "What am I supposed to think about?"

"Besides," Alex added, "You got me all worked up last night on the roof."

"Oh I'm so sorry," Will laughed, leaning his forehead against Alex's, "Next time you shouldn't get so turned on after sucking me off."

"Just with you, pet," Alex told Will in a mock serious tone.

"Oh I know it's just me," Will grinned, "Everything is just me."

Alex slapped at Will's ass, "You're getting cocky."

"Aw," Will pouted his lower lip, "I thought you liked me cocky."

"I like your cock," Alex amended. "Although you are pretty sexy when you're confident."

"It's hard not to be when I know how easy it is to work you over," Will smiled when he saw the rare blush tinting Alex's skin.

"Stop talking," Alex ordered before pulling Will into a kiss.

* * *

"It's cold," Ari complained, swinging Will and Alex's hands as they walked around the park, "You should get me another hot chocolate."

"Uh huh," Will said, "Well your hot chocolate friend is going to bring you something in a little bit."

"Good," Ari nodded seriously. "Why are we in the park?"

"There's not that many places to go in town," Will commented. "Plus, I thought it would be nice to get out and enjoy some sunshine. Now, how are you feeling after yesterday?"

"Mmm," Ari hummed as she thought about it, "My eyes hurt."

"That's from crying too much," Alex informed her. "So knock it off."

Seeing something out of the corner of his eye Alex frowned when he saw a man in black skulking about.

Ari stuck her tongue out at Alex.

"Seriously," Will nudged her in the side, "How are you feeling? Are you mad? Sad? Is there anyone you don't want to see before we go back home?"

"I don't know," Ari said in a small voice. "I don't know what I feel until I feel it. Like when I get mad I don't know that's what I'm feeling until I'm already mad."

"OK," Alex thought that over. "But you need to try to tell us how you feel before you start throwing things, kid."

"I just throw things," Ari shrugged, "I don't think about it."

"You are definitely working on that," Will informed her.

"That's what you said yesterday," Ari said, "That I wasn't allowed to throw things or yell at people anymore."

"That's because you're not," Will told her firmly. "Not anymore. You can get mad all you want but none of the other stuff."

"I'll try," Ari offered, "But it's probably going to be hard."

"I'm sure it will, baby girl," Will teased, "But I bet you can do it."

"You better do it," Alex ordered. "I can only deal with so much whining."

"I don't whine," Ari argued, "That's you."

"Psh," Alex reached over with his free hand and poked her in the arm through her thick sweater. "We've always known you're the real trouble maker in this family."

"Ow," Ari let go of Alex's hand and put it over where Alex poked her. Even though it didn't hurt she still liked to play it up.

"That didn't hurt," Alex rolled his eyes.

"It did," Ari insisted with an over exaggerated frown. "But," Ari batted her lashes at Alex, "If you want to make it up to me I know what you can do."

Alex refrained from rolling his eyes again, "Oh, and what is that?"

'_Like I don't know,'_ Alex thought with a sigh.

"Well," Ari gave Alex a sneaky smile, "It's what I want you and daddy to do."

Will, beginning to see where this is going, stopped the three of them from walking and told Ari, "I think we need to talk about that actually."

"Yay," Ari clapped her hands. "I already know what kind of dress I want to get and I think you should dress like princes."

"What the f-" Alex cut himself off, "No, just no."

"Ari," Will grabbed her hand again and pulled her over to a bench, "Getting married is a big deal and Alex and I are not going to go through with it just because you want us to."

"Why not?" Ari's smile slipped off her face. "You love him and I love him. Now you get married."

"It's a huge decision," Alex offered, sitting down on Ari's other side. "We aren't just jumping into anything."

"And I don't want you getting your hopes up, sweetie," Will told her kindly. "Alex and I may not get married and I don't want that to hurt you."

"But why?" Ari didn't understand. "You married that guy that left us. Why won't you marry Alex?"

"That's kind of connected, kid," Alex pointed out. "Daddy and I both have pretty bad ideas associated with marriage."

"But you could make new ideas," Ari debated. "I heard you say once that you didn't want kids but you want me now."

"I do, yes," Alex admitted, "But it took us a long time to like each other."

"So?" Ari complained.

"So," Alex shook his head, "We can't exactly get married and try to decide if we like it afterwards."

"All we're saying," Will jumped in, "Is that we're thinking about it but I don't want you getting your heart set on this."

Ari thought it over for a few moments, "OK but just so you know I always get what I want in the end. I'm gonna convince you."

And with that Ari hopped off the bench and jogged over to the playground that was on the opposite side of the sidewalk.

"That could have been worse," Alex decided.

"Yeah," Will agreed. "Unfortunately now she's determined."

"We're pretty much doomed," Alex figured.

Putting his arm around Will and watching Ari try to use the monkey bars, Alex frowned when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye.

'_What the hell?'_ Alex thought seeing the same large man in all black pulling out his phone and creeping back behind some trees.

"This place creeps me out," Alex casually commented. "I don't like it."

"We just have to stay until Chad gets here," Will assured him. "Then we can go somewhere else."

* * *

"Here you go," Chad handed each Will and Alex a cup of coffee before pushing Will against Alex to make room for him to sit down on the bench with them.

Will, practically in Alex's lap, said, "Thanks for this."

"As I said before," Chad handed Ari's hot chocolate over to Will, "I can't have you going to the competition now can I."

"What are you three up to today, anyway?" Chad wondered seeing Ari trying to climb up a slide on the playground.

"Nothing, really," Will told him. "We'll probably see Justin and my grandma again and the twins but beyond that I don't know."

"Makes sense," Chad nodded. Not being able to help himself Chad asked, "What was up with Sonny and Paul yesterday?"

"What do you mean?" Will wondered, laying his arm on Alex's thigh.

"Like you didn't notice the entirely uncomfortable situation you left me to deal with at the club," Chad laughed awkwardly, "Thanks for that, by the way."

"What did you expect?" Alex shrugged disinterestedly. "Like we really want to hang around either of them."

"I didn't either," Chad argued. "But I'm stuck with them."

"Sounds like a personal problem to me," Alex said to Chad with a wide smirk. "But speaking of, what's it like working with my brother?"

"Before it was fine," Chad responded. "But since he found out about the two of you," Chad looked at them accusingly, "He's been a nightmare. I have to say I'm not too excited he's back if yesterday was any indication."

"What was yesterday?" Will felt mildly curious.

It was a strange feeling talking about Sonny like this. Will didn't think he would ever get to a point where he would even feel comfortable discussing Sonny but he surprisingly was. A part of Will would always care about Sonny. He didn't wish him any ill will but he no longer felt a tug in his stomach hearing Sonny's name. He didn't get a nervous fluttering in his chest. He also didn't feel a deep, aching sadness either.

It was different but Will was getting used to it. Really putting Sonny behind him, being in Salem, and no longer having to worry made Will feel better. _'If I can get to this point so can Ari,'_ Will knew.

"I was supposed to be going over the books and things like that with Sonny," Chad explained, putting his arm over the back of the bench, "Paul always insists on butting into these things. Who knows why really he just gets in the way. Yesterday, the two of them would not stop harping on each other about you three."

"What about the three of us?" Alex demanded protectively.

It wasn't that Alex hated his youngest brother or didn't care about him but it was hard for Alex to separate his feelings about Will and Ari and how he felt about Sonny. Especially with the way Ari cried and screamed yesterday so fresh in his mind Alex wanted to do everything he could to keep those parts of his life separate.

"Look," Chad started clarifying, "When Sonny left you for Paul," Chad nodded his head at Will carefully, not sure if that was still a sore subject or not, "He was basically his normal self, right? Even when you left it wasn't like he really changed at all."

"But," Chad took a deep breath, "When he found out about you being with Alex he started getting weird. It was like everything finally dawned on him. I really think he never processed anything about you leaving or anything like that up until he had, you know, officially lost you. I don't know for sure, it's just what I think."

"Sonny had a long time to figure that out though," Will stated, "Besides, what would he need to figure out? He left me to be with Paul. He was happy. I don't really get how all of that changed just because he found out I wasn't pining over him."

"Who knows?" Chad shrugged. "I'm just saying what I saw. Besides, it's like when Paul came to town. Sonny was all loved up with you and the second he saw Paul it was like the past was all he could think about. I think that's what's pissing Paul off anyway."

Alex, not really caring at all about Paul, asked, "So that's what they were arguing about?"

"I think so," Chad said, "Again, I don't know. But it seemed to me that Paul was upset that Sonny was finally coming back from his finding himself trip and you guys were here."

"Paul shouldn't have anything to worry about," Will offered, "At least not from our end of things." Glancing over at Ari happily playing Will offered, "Well, maybe not all of us."

Ari, thirsty from her hard playing, skipped over to her daddy and Alex.

"Hot chocolate man," Ari cheered as soon as she recognized Chad.

Will offered the still warm cup to Ari and chuckled as she practically chugged it. "Don't drink it all at once," Will warned. "You're only getting one."

"Fine," Ari stopped her drinking. Licking her lips sloppily, Ari shoved the cup at her daddy and offered her hand to Chad, "You're playing with me now."

Chad, letting Ari yank him off the bench, put his cup down and started following after Ari, "Duty calls, gentlemen. Oh and by the way? You do know you're being followed right."

"What?" Will turned to look behind him but didn't see anything.

"Gee," Alex rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "I wonder who could be behind that."

* * *

Will and Alex were sitting on the swings side-by-side, heels digging into the sand and moving gently back and forth.

"What's the deal with that?" Alex nodded towards Chad who was crawling after Ari in a tunnel.

"Chad's always liked Ari," Will admitted. "It's sweet seeing them together."

"It's alright," Alex didn't want to agree that it was kind of nice seeing Ari trusting and playing with someone easily. Fingers itching slightly Alex tucked his hands into fists before giving up and pulling out the small digital camera from Ari's backpack.

Snapping away at Ari's smiling, bright face Alex wished he would have brought a better camera.

Chad, pulling Ari into his lap and sliding down the twisting slide, lifted them both up and said, "I need a break."

"You're old," Ari teased with a smile on her face.

She might have been indifferent to Chad when she first saw him the other day but he was growing on her. He followed all of Ari's instructions while they played, he was nice to her daddy and Alex and he brought her hot chocolate.

'_He had that picture of me too,'_ Ari recalled. _'And I don't remember him ever leaving me.'_

Chad smiled at Ari. _'God she is so different from the last time I saw her,'_ Chad decided. _'It's so strange to think about the life she had before. The life her and Will had.' _

Ari, grabbing Chad's hand and pulling him towards the tunnel again, sat the two of them down, laughing when Chad had to hunch over slightly to fit.

Hearing Ari's giggle Chad felt a tiny pang in his chest. As much as he adored Ari, Chad couldn't help but be reminded of his own daughter he had lost. He tried not to think about her too often but every now and again she clouded his thoughts_. 'And seeing Ari is definitely one of those things,'_ Chad knew.

"What's your whole name?" Chad questioned Ari wanting to see if she knew.

"Arianna Grace Horton," Ari instantly replied.

"Do you know who you're named after?" Chad asked in a soft voice.

"Mommy's sister," Ari told her new friend easily. "And daddy's sister. They told me."

"That's right," Chad nodded thinking about a similar conversation he had with Ari when she was a toddler. "And you wanna know a secret?"

"Yes," Ari nodded enthusiastically. She loved secrets.

"It's kind of complicated," Chad told her, "But Grace was my baby too."

"Oh," Ari wasn't sure she got it but decided to pretend she did. "Where did she go?"

"She's not around anymore," Chad confessed carefully having no idea how to explain this to a four year old. "She was really sick and she's not here with us now."

"Oh she's like my grandpa," Ari said knowledgably.

"Grandpa?" Chad blinked at Ari curiously.

"Yeah," Ari nodded. "Grandma tells me he loved me and Johnny and Allie and Sydney. And whenever I say something mean she says he would be proud of me. But he had to leave and he can't be with us anymore either."

"Oh_, oh_," Chad finally realized who she was talking about. "I'm sure he did love you. And guess what?"

"What?" Ari wondered twirling her hair around her fingers.

"Your grandpa," Chad whispered dramatically. "He was my brother."

Ari gasped slightly, "Does that make you my uncle too?"

"I think so," Chad decided teasingly.

"I have a lot of uncles," Ari told him seriously. "Joey and Vic are fighting about who gets to be my favorite. Do you want to join them?"

"I'll pass," Chad said, shaking his head at Ari feeling extremely amused, "But secretly we know we've got each other's backs, right?"

"Yeah," Ari giggled happily. She really did love having secrets.

"So what kind of plans do you have for Joey and Vic?" Chad asked slyly. He liked both guys well enough but he couldn't deny the idea of Ari pitting them against each other was pretty damn funny.

"Well," Ari put her hands together and gave a deceptively innocent smile.

* * *

"Do you think we should leave?" Will asked as he twisted himself around on the swing. "Before anything or anyone comes here?"

"No," Alex replied, turning the camera on Will and snapped away. "If anyone has a problem with us they can go ahead and say it."

Flipping the camera setting to video Alex gave a small smile watching Will let go of the swing and spin around and around with a wide grin.

Will, laughing, saw something strange while he was spinning around. Finally stationary again Will turned behind him and groaned, "Well looks like we've got our chance."

Alex turned off the camera and turned on his swing. "Well fuck," Alex complained. "Looks like a god damn Kiriakis family reunion."

"I think we'll have to kill Joey and Vic when they get here," Will announced, "For not warning us."

"Dad's not here either," Alex noticed suspiciously.

"Doesn't look like it's only Kiriakis family members either," Will pointed out seeing some of his aunts, uncles and cousins. "Apparently it's a Salem-wide thing."

"Oh goodie," Alex declared. "I'm so fucking excited."

Watching as their extended family members started unloading baskets of food on the scattered picnic tables Will winced when they looked over and noticed him. Seeing the various looks of shock and surprise on their face Will figured they didn't realize he was in town.

'_Which probably means they don't know I'm with Alex either,'_ Will thought.

Seeing Victor Kiriakis slowly making his way toward a picnic bench glaring in his direction Will pretty much knew what this ambush was about.

'_I'm so fucking excited too,'_ Will thought groaning slightly, knowing he was going to have to explain all of this to Ari.

* * *

Ari sat on Will's lap with his arms around her tummy, "Who are these people?"

"Um," Will swung them back and forth slowly, "Just a few relatives of ours and Alex's."

"Why are they here?" Ari questioned not liking so many people invading her playground.

"From the looks of all the food they brought," Will commented, "They want a picnic."

"Can't Alex make them go away?" Ari asked hopefully.

"I don't think so, babe," Will told her.

"What if I don't want to see them?" Ari decided. "Or grandpa and Grandma Kate," she clarified.

"You just need to think about it like you did with me," Will suggested. "You know that I love you and you love me. You decided to forgive me even though I did something bad. Now you have to figure out the same thing with everyone else."

"But everyone else didn't leave me," Ari pointed out sadly.

* * *

"Where the hell are you?" Alex hissed into his phone.

"I'm getting coffee," Vic said in a confused tone. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the park," Alex explained, "Where coincidentally everyone in our entire fucking family and Will's decided to show up."

"What are you talking about?" Vic questioned.

"You better find out," Alex ordered, "Or I'm not gonna be happy."

Vic groaned when Alex hung up without a word. Dialing his father Vic waited a few seconds before he answered, "Dad, find out whatever the hell Uncle Vic is up to and then get to the park."

"What?" Justin questioned having a hard time keeping up with what Vic was saying.

"Just do it," Vic demanded.

'_How did Victor know where the three of them were?'_ Vic wondered unhappily.

When his coffee was handed over to him Vic nodded his thanks before heading out of Club TBD. Again, Vic was unaware that Sonny had been standing behind him for both phone calls.

* * *

"Oh my goodness," Julie reached out to pinch at Ari's cheeks, "She is so cute I could just eat her up."

"She's so tall," Maggie agreed happily.

"I can't believe she looks so much like Will," Jennifer pointed out.

"Will, she is just precious," Kayla gushed. "I can't believe we all missed so much while you were away."

"That's right," Hope nodded. "Now, are you here to visit or are you moving back? It would be so nice to see you again."

"Uh," Will blinked several times, hands reaching out to protectively pull Ari into his lap and away from any pinching fingers. "We're just visiting."

"And what about that tall drink of water," Julie raised her eyebrows up and down, "You came here with? What is the story there?"

Ari gazed at each woman in distaste.

"Oh," Jennifer jumped in with, "That's Alex Kiriakis, my nephew. Well," Jennifer tucked her hair behind her ears, "I guess not technically anymore but still. We saw them at Adrienne and Lucas' wedding."

"Looks like more happened at that wedding than you told us, Cuz," Hope gave Jennifer a pointed stare.

"Why didn't Marlena or John say anything to us? Or Adrienne and Lucas for that matter?" Kayla wondered.

"That does explain why Sonny came back with his face busted in though," Julie said blunt as ever. "So," giving Will a wide grin Julie grinned, "Having brothers fighting over you must be fun."

"Julie," Will complained making a disgusted face, "That's not what this is about."

"Oh we all saw how handsome he is," Maggie tried to ease the tension, "I'm sure there's plenty more than just whatever it is Julie is suggesting."

"Speaking of," Kayla looked at Maggie, "Why didn't you tell us this was why Victor was throwing this town picnic?"

"Well," Maggie nervously flicked her hair, "I wasn't entirely certain what Victor was up to."

"Whatever the reason," Hope reached out and put her hand on Will's over the picnic table, "We're all just glad to see how good you look and how beautiful Ari is."

"Thank you," Will replied sincerely giving a metaphoric sigh of relief.

A part of Will was still anxious about seeing his extended family again. He wasn't sure what they would have heard or what they thought of him. But he was pleasantly surprised they were their typical, gossipy selves.

Will didn't notice when Sonny and Paul wandered into the park except for the tightening of Ari's arms around his neck. He was attempting to listen to Julie's rambling but Will found it difficult.

When Ari's grip constricted almost painfully, Will patted her on the back, "What is it?"

Ari didn't say anything. She just stared across the small clearing watching the man she remembered leaving her standing near the man she automatically didn't like.

Will turned to look in the direction Ari was and frowned. Glancing back at Ari's blank face Will stood up and excused himself from the picnic table.

"Excuse us," Will said quickly. He put Ari's feet on the ground but frowned when she didn't make any moves to stand on her own. Hefting her into his arms Will wandered over to a secluded section of the park.

Sitting the two of them down in the grass, Will put both hands on Ari's face, "Tell me what you're thinking."

Ari, finally blinking, stared at Will sadly, "I don't feel good."

"Because of who you saw?" Will pressed wanting to make sure he knew what was going through her head.

"Uh huh," Ari nodded with Will's hands still cupping her face gently. "He makes me feel bad," Ari confessed in a strangled voice.

"He's not going to hurt you," Will promised. "I'm not going to let him or anyone ever hurt you."

"I know," Ari sighed. "It just feels weird here," Ari put her hand on her chest. "It hurts right here."

Brushing his thumbs under Ari's eyes, Will tried to sound positive, "Daddy, used to hurt there too, you know?"

"Yeah?" Ari questioned, eyes locked on Will's, completely trusting.

Will licked his lips and nodded, "Thinking about him," Will nodded his head in Sonny's direction, "Used to make me sad all the time. And it hurt me there too," Will let go of one of Ari's cheeks and placed his hand on her chest.

"Does it hurt now?" Ari asked lips wobbling slightly.

"No," Will admitted. "It still feels strange but not the way it used to. Now," Will gave Ari a wide smile, "It's like when you get a booboo and it goes away. You know it used to be there and it used to hurt but now it's just a scar."

Ari nodded once before biting on her bottom lip, "Who is that other boy? The one that we saw at grandma's work and at the hot chocolate place?"

Will took a deep breath. The one thing they really didn't talk about yesterday was Paul. Will wasn't entirely sure that it would have been helpful for Ari to know that Sonny had left Will for someone else. That he traded in his life as a husband and a father for another man.

'_I probably should have,'_ Will knew but he wasn't certain it was going to explain the immediate issue. _'Besides,'_ Will knew, _'I've never even known the entirety of that story, why Sonny stayed away. How can I explain it to Ari when I don't understand it myself?'_

"Well," Will tried to explain everything in the simplest way that he could, "That man is named Paul. And he's friends," Will wasn't entirely sure the status of Sonny and Paul's relationship, "With the other boy, Sonny."

"I remember him too," Ari admitted, "A little bit."

"What do you remember?" Will wondered nervously.

"He made you frown a lot," Ari scrunched up her forehead while she was thinking. "You didn't like it when he was around. But he," Ari pointed at the one that left her, "He kept him around anyway."

"Yes, he did," Will nodded in agreement. "Do you think that we should find Alex and leave?" Will asked. "Or should we try to stay?"

Ari glanced over at Alex. She saw Joey and Vic rushing over to him as well as her grandma and grandpa.

"No," Ari decided, sniffling slightly, "I want to talk to them."

"OK," Will noticed who she was talking about, "Let's go say hi."

'_And hope she doesn't react too negatively,'_ Will thought as she squeezed his hand with all of her might. _'She did such a good job explaining how she felt without getting mad. I don't want anything else to set her off.'_

* * *

"You don't need to stick around you know," Alex reminded Chad. "You can be free to escape these people."

"I could," Chad nodded. "But it might be a little fun to watch the fireworks. Besides I have it on good authority that there's going to be a pretty fierce competition between Joey and Vic later on."

Alex grunted, "Probably. She's pretty good at getting whatever she wants."

"So I've heard," Chad acknowledged. Seizing up Alex, Chad commented, "Like you for instance."

"Excuse me?" Alex gave Chad a harsh look.

Chad, staring right back, said, "I did my research, you know. I already told you I kept tabs on Will and Ari. When I found out Will was seeing you I did a little digging."

"Oh really?" Alex held Chad's gaze.

"And for the longest time you really had me wondering," Chad admitted conversationally. "I mean, here you were a guy that jumped from one relationship to another without ever committing and suddenly you were with Will. You were dating Will and living with Will. It just didn't add up."

"And I wondered for a while," Chad disclosed, "If this was some sort of revenge plot but that didn't really make sense. What with how estranged you were with Sonny. And I thought it over," Chad nodded seriously, "It wasn't just that you fell for Will, was it?"

Alex didn't move, didn't blink.

"Ari got to you too," Chad smiled. "You fell for her just as hard as you did Will." Chad adjusted on the picnic bench he was sitting, leaning across the table to be closer to Alex, "Which is why I left everything well enough alone."

"If you think," Alex started saying, "That there was anything you could have said or done that would have come between us you are sadly fucking mistaken."

"I know," Chad grinned. "And I'm glad. That's what they deserve," Chad nodded towards Will and Ari being hounded. "I'm just saying Ari must be pretty fantastic at negotiating to have you here, with them, as devoted as you are."

"Besides," Chad pointed out, "I'm also staying because I like to piss off your uncle."

"That I can get behind," Alex said before noticing Joey, Vic, his father and Kate heading their way.

"So," Alex demanded when they finally reached him. "Why the hell didn't you know about this?"

"I don't know," Justin tried to explain. "Victor didn't tell any of us about this."

"Because he knew we would tell you," Kate decided shaking her head just thinking about Victor Kiriakis.

"But why?" Joey questioned. "I don't get it. What does he think is going to come of this? If he wanted to see you guys why wouldn't he just invite you over?"

"Who knows what goes through his head," Justin didn't even want to try thinking about it. "I'm sure it's a scary place."

"Hey," Kate beamed as she saw Will and Ari walking over to them. She had no idea why Victor would call practically the entire town to have this impromptu picnic, although she was certain she could guess. She was just glad that Will and Ari both seemed to be doing well.

"Hi," Will greeted before Ari let go of his hand and sat next to Alex on the picnic bench.

Ari, sitting closely to Alex, ignored everyone. She didn't exactly feel mad but she felt something unpleasant.

'_Why did everyone leave me?'_ Ari wanted to know. _'How do I know they won't do it again?' _

Justin, frowning in the direction of his uncle, wanted to get to the bottom of this set up. _'But first,'_ Justin looked over Ari leaning against Alex.

'_She certainly doesn't look happy,'_ Justin noted.

"Hi, Ari," Justin told her as he sat down across from her. "Are you OK?" Justin asked.

Ari glared at Justin for a moment before tearing her eyes away.

"She's had a rough weekend," Alex declared. Pulling out his camera Alex handed it over knowing that Ari knew how to look through the pictures by herself.

"Oh?" Kate asked sitting down next to Justin. "What happened?"

"The truth happened," Alex stated. "We had to have a talk about what led up to her and Will leaving."

"I see," Justin sighed. "So the silent treatment would be because…?"

"Because you left me," Ari finally said, looking up from the camera. "You left me and I'm mad at you."

Justin and Kate both swallowed carefully. They knew this day would come eventually. Justin just didn't think it would be so soon.

Justin knew he had more to be afraid of than Kate did. Kate had actually searched for Will and Ari whereas Justin didn't try at all. He had spent the first two years of Ari's life thinking of her as his grandchild and he didn't even look. Some days he had no idea how he could have let her go.

'_And they were with Sami the whole time,'_ Justin shook his head, _'Of course they were. If anyone had ever bothered to look we would have found them instantly. Why didn't any of us look?'_

"Ari," Justin said in a low voice. "I'm very sorry that I left you."

"I love you and you left me," Ari informed him in a scratchy voice. "I probably loved you then," Ari figured, "And you didn't care."

"Of course I cared," Justin maintained trying not to sound defensive.

"Then why didn't you see me?" Ari demanded, "Or talk to me? Why were you so mean to my daddy?"

Justin opened his mouth but no sounds came out. It was hard remembering coming home to Salem and discovering what had happened. At the time all he could do was think, _'Of course it's Will's fault. Everything must be Will's fault.' _

'_But now I know that isn't true. It wasn't just Will at fault,'_ Justin learned. _'Will might have done wrong but so did Sonny. And so did everyone else once they were divorced. But we were all too happy to stay away from Will. I was happy to see Sonny happy. And never once did any of us think about what our actions were doing to Ari.' _

Justin knew everyone liked to blame Will for being just like his mother but Justin knew Sonny was just like his parents too. _'The long forgotten truth of the matter is Sonny has all of mine and Adrienne's worst traits. And absolutely no one seems to care.'_

Over the past few months Justin had become closer to Will and Ari than he had when they were living in Salem. He spent plenty of time around them before but there was always something there holding each side back. It was always lawsuits and arrests and courtroom drama and when everything would be settled something new would happen to turn everything around again.

'_Of course, I've never been closer to Alex than I am right now either,'_ Justin knew. Whenever he called now Alex would always call him back when he didn't answer. Alex was more forthcoming with details from his life. He actually shared things with Justin now.

'_And it's because of Will and Ari,'_ Justin looked between the two. _'As much as Alex helped them they helped him right back.' _

Now, sitting here and looking into Ari's wide, tear laced eyes Justin couldn't think of a single excuse as to how he could have let even a single day go by without seeing her. He knew how extremely lucky he was that Will was allowing him to be in his daughter's life again. Will easily could have set boundaries and made sure Ari didn't get too close.

'_But she considers me her grandfather,' _Justin pressed his lips together, _'She let me and Kate go with her without Will or Alex the other night. She trusts us and she just found out I didn't care at all that she was gone.'_

"Hmm?" Ari stared at Justin accusingly.

"I," Justin started to say, "I left you and was mean to your daddy because it was easier than doing anything about it."

"Huh?" Ari gave Justin a curious, confused look.

"It's easier, sometimes, isn't it to do nothing?" Justin attempted to explain.

Will wasn't sure if he should jump in and help or not. A part of him wanted to see Justin having to explain his actions both to Ari and himself. However, Will could see how sincere Justin looked. Will noticed the series of expressions crossing Justin's face and voice.

'_At one point in time Justin got along with me,'_ Will reminded himself. _'He helped my mom and he helped me. I don't know how that changed but at least he's trying now. He's trying with Alex and with Ari and with me. I can at least help him out here.' _

Will took Ari's hand and told her, "Remember when you and Johnny kicked that ball through grandma's window?"

"Yeah," Ari said not entirely sure where this was going.

"You let Johnny take the blame," Will reminded her, "Even though you knew it was wrong and you didn't say anything until after grandma screamed at him."

"So?" Ari thought it over.

"It was easier to let Johnny get in trouble, wasn't it?" Will asked. "And it was hard to tell grandma the truth later on."

"I guess," Ari admitted reluctantly. Turning back to Justin, Ari told him, "I'm still mad though."

"That's completely understandable," Justin gave her a weak smile before nodding in thanks towards Will.

"You'll have to buy me lots of presents," Ari declared. "Whenever I want."

Justin's lips quirked upwards, "Is that so?"

"Yep," Ari made her lips pop, "I need toys," Ari started counting on her fingers, "Dresses, shoes, a new tiara."

"Oh my god," Alex rolled his eyes dramatically. "No one is buying her those things."

"Excuse you," Kate interjected, "No one is stopping me from buying my grandbaby a tiara."

"And," Ari loudly interrupted, "I think you," Ari pointed at Justin, "Should have to pay for daddy and Alex to get married."

"What did we just talk about?" Alex questioned in an exasperated tone.

"What was that?" Chad asked. He had tried to stay out of everything for the most part but this was almost too good to ignore.

"Nothing," Will said quickly. "Just something we've been talking about."

"It's gonna happen," Ari declared. Finally spotting Joey and Vic, who had been hovering near the table, not quite sure if they should jump in or not, Ari clambered off the bench and informed them, "Hello, Uncles. Do you want to play with me?"

Vic, not trusting that angelic little face one bit, reluctantly replied, "I guess."

Refusing to let Vic win, Joey eagerly responded, "Let's do this."

"I need to watch this," Chad declared. Pointing at Will he said, "But this conversation is not over."

Seeing his daughter bossily ordering Vic and Joey into various tasks Will smiled.

"That went better than expected," Justin said. "Honestly, I was waiting for her to yell and scream at me."

"She did plenty of that yesterday," Alex informed his father. "And throwing actually with a little bit of puking thrown in for fun."

"Did she really take finding out about everything that hard?" Kate wondered.

"Well," Will nodded, "Everything but mostly one person in particular."

"I see," Justin sighed. Glancing over his shoulder Justin saw Sonny and Paul sitting at a separate table with Adrienne and Lucas.

While Justin loved being closer to Alex and reuniting with Ari once again he had to admit he hated that Sonny felt ostracized. He had always attempted to be fair to all of his children and while he might have failed along the way with Alex Justin wanted to do better.

'_How are holidays going to work if I have all of my children except Sonny around? I can't keep everyone separated. I just wish there was a way to make things slightly less awkward,'_ Justin thought.

Justin, catching Sonny's eye, waved him over to their table.

'_No time like the present to work things out,'_ Justin figured.

* * *

Vic watched on as Ari came back from the drinking fountain with a soccer ball under her arm.

"Where did you get that?" he asked knowing it wasn't hers.

"I found it," Ari evasively answered. "Now, you have to practice with me."

Chad was amused to see both Vic and Joey instantly following Ari's instructions.

"So," Joey lightly kicked the ball to Ari, "How do you feel today, kiddo?"

"I don't know," Ari kicked the ball in Vic's direction, "Weird."

"You didn't seem that upset with your grandpa over there," Joey pointed out. "Or are you saving it for later?"

Ari shrugged, "I talked about it with daddy. I know that grandpa is nice to me now. But he still needs to make it up to me."

"Sounds reasonable," Vic said, "Which is kind of shocking for you."

"Hey," Ari complained kicking the ball extra hard and smashing it into Vic's shin.

"Ow," Vic rubbed his leg.

"And that is why I am your favorite uncle," Joey reminded Ari, moving closer to put his arm around her, "I don't insult you. Now, if you want we can kick more balls at him."

"OK," Ari answered moving out of the way as Joey and Vic both started fighting over the ball. Standing next to Chad, Ari said, "This is fun."

Watching as the ball bounced off of the side of Joey's head Chad agreed, "Yes, yes it is."

After a few minutes Chad commented, "You know what? I'm getting hungry. How about we go get some of that food over there?"

Ari, looking at the picnic tables covered in food, decided giving him a deviously sweet smile, "OK, let's go Uncle Chad."

Joey and Vic both paused their wrestling over the ball when they heard Ari.

"Sure thing, princess," Chad offered catching on to what Ari was up to.

Joey and Vic both gasped at the same time.

"You," Joey pointed dramatically at Chad from where he was sitting on the grass. "You, you usurper!"

"What can I say?" Chad shrugged, laughing as Ari eagerly jumped into his arms, "DiMera's always win out over Kiriakis'."

"You aren't even her uncle," Vic pointed out standing up and brushing off some dirt.

"Sure I am," Chad said over Ari's loud giggles as they started walking away.

"This is war," Joey declared loudly. In a quieter voice Joey asked his brother, "We need to get more condom water balloons."

Just then a group of kids came running over.

"That's our ball," one of them angrily said before snatching the ball away from Joey and running off.

"I knew she didn't just find that," Vic sighed.

* * *

Chad, nodding at Will while he passed by with Ari in his arms, took them to the table with food.

"Now," Chad picked up a plate, "What does little miss Arianna want?"

Ari began pointing out all the foods she wanted and which ones she absolutely didn't want.

"You are super picky," Chad realized.

"I am," Ari confirmed. Glancing around the park Ari noticed a mean looking old guy staring at them. "Who's that guy?" she asked Chad.

Chad looked where Ari was pointing and said, "That would be Victor Kiriakis."

"Is he related to Alex?" Ari wondered.

"Yep," Chad confirmed smirking and waving when he caught Victor's disapproving glare. "Something tells me he doesn't get along too well with Alex though."

"That probably means I won't like him," Ari frowned before shrugging it off, "Oh well. I want my food now."

* * *

Sonny and Paul carefully sat down at the same picnic table as Will and Alex. Both weren't entirely sure if they would be welcome or if they even wanted to be there.

The two had spent the entire day yesterday arguing. Sonny had been gone for so long and thought that he had finally had everything figured out. However, he was not prepared to see Will, Ari and Alex in Salem. Paul had attempted to be understanding throughout all these months but it was hard. And seeing the way Sonny had reacted the day before to Ari once again didn't exactly please Paul. He thought that when Sonny came back he would be ready to put everything behind him once and for all.

Alex clamped his hand on Will's knee the second Sonny and Paul sat down at the picnic table. It wasn't like he felt threatened but he certainly felt protective.

Kate, never too pleased to be around Sonny or Paul, rolled her eyes and shared a knowing look with Alex.

Alex nodded at Kate appreciatively. He enjoyed being around someone that didn't think the sun rose and set on his brother.

Will, he just wanted to get everything over with. The entire point of going on this trip was to leave his past in the past. He would never be able to do that if Sonny was always going to be someone he couldn't face. Will was ready to move on from everything. He sincerely hoped that Sonny was ready to as well.

"So," Justin said, wanting to break the awkward silence, "Alex, Will when is your flight leaving?"

"Around 6," Will told Justin. "I didn't want to make it too late of a flight since Ari has school in the morning."

"How is that going, by the way?" Kate questioned. "I know she was having a tough time after your surgery."

"Better now, thank god," Alex shook his head. "If I have to deal with one more phone call from her dumbass teacher I'm gonna lose it."

"She doesn't call that often," Will defended.

"She doesn't call you," Alex argued. "She always calls me. God knows why. I don't want to talk to her."

"Because you always answer," Will offered giving Alex a quick smile. Looking at Justin Will said, "He's a total sucker. Every time he sees the schools number on his phone he freaks out."

"No I don't," Alex insisted shooting Will a stern expression.

"Sure you don't," Will patted Alex's stomach.

"Give it up, son," Justin laughed, "We all know you've turned soft on us."

Alex, opening his mouth, started to say, "I'll have you know I-"

"Just quit while you're ahead," Will encouraged knowing Alex was going to say something horrifically embarrassing.

"I'm glad to see Ari isn't having any problems with Joey or Vic," Justin stated wanting to change the topic.

"She's pitting them against each other actually," Will chuckled watching as Ari slyly moved out of the way as the twins started arguing.

"I was wondering about that," Kate smiled. "I thought it was just Joey she had wrapped around her finger."

"Um," Paul, completely lost in the conversation, asked, "What's happening with Joey and Vic?"

"Oh," Justin chuckled, "Well a while back Joey vowed that he was going to become Ari's favorite uncle."

"Then yesterday," Will added, "Joey insisted that he could watch her by himself."

"Which anyone could have told him he would be dreadful at," Kate inputted.

"So," Justin continued, "He had to call Vic for help and basically Ari has now convinced them both to vie for her affection."

"Looks like she's got a new contender too," Alex nodded to where Chad picked up Ari and the two walked away.

"She's having entirely too much fun with this," Will decided.

"How did the trip to see Gabi go?" Kate asked curiously.

"Lots of crying," Alex confessed with a shudder. "So much crying."

"It was good," Will ignored Alex. "Gabi was extremely surprised. It was hard to get Ari to leave though."

"Did you see her before you came to the club?" Sonny quietly questioned.

"Yeah," Will responded. "She had been crying a lot and wanted a drink."

"Oh, right," Sonny nodded. He was still having a hard time reconciling the Ari that was here with the one that had left. _'The one that used to be mine.'_

Ari and skipped over to her daddy and Alex with Chad carrying her food behind her.

"Daddy," Ari automatically climbed into his lap, "If I eat all my food can I have some pie?"

"Not all of them," Will told her, knowing she would try to convince him she needed a slice from each. "You get one slice of pie."

Ari stuck out her lower lip and gave her daddy her puppy eyes, "Please?"

Normally Will would give in but, recalling his conversation with her therapist this morning, he shook his head.

"Oh fine," Ari sighed before snatching a fork out of Chad's hand and beginning to eat.

Everyone seemed to be waiting for the moment Ari noticed Sonny and Paul were sitting at her table.

Joey and Vic limped over with their own plates of food.

"You know," Joey informed Ari, "I think you like watching me get hurt."

"I do," Ari easily agreed. "It's funny. Like yesterday when Alex hit you in the face."

"Made me laugh too," Alex confirmed before stealing some of Ari's food.

"That was uncalled for," Joey pouted.

"You threw a condom balloon at Will's face," Alex defended. Gesturing with his hands Alex said, "You don't mess with this region. I look at that."

Will, unimpressed, glared at Alex before saying, "Someone is going to get smacked in the face and it isn't going to be Joey."

"If I can't throw things any more than you can't hit people," Ari remarked authoritatively. "Just do what I do and get someone else to do it."

Will snorted, "I was joking, baby girl. But you and I are having several serious conversations when we get home."

"I don't like it when we do that though," Ari said, "Can't we just do whatever I want?"

"Nice try but no," Will replied.

Ari, going to shove a carrot stick in her mouth, paused when she looked down the table and noticed who was sitting there. Ari stared between Sonny and Paul for a few moments before taking a bite of her carrot and chewing loudly.

Crossing her arms Ari attempted to calm herself down on her own. _'No throwing things. No throwing things. No throwing things.' _

Will squeezed his arm around Ari's waist in support. He didn't know if he should move her to a different table or go back to the apartment. Catching Alex's eye, Will tried to figure out what to do next.

Alex, seeing Will's expression, shrugged. Personally he was hoping Ari would go off on Sonny. The way he figured Sonny needed to see exactly what staying away from her did. But Alex also knew that probably wasn't the healthiest thing for the kid.

'_I guess we'll just wait and see what she does,'_ Alex thought seeing Ari concentrating very hard.

'_I don't need him,'_ Ari reminded herself. _'I have daddy and Alex and they love me and they'll never ever leave me. Ever. He doesn't matter anymore.'_

Sonny sat frozen in his spot barely remembering to breathe. He had never seen such a scathing look from someone so small before. While he was away on his backpacking trip he had done his best to do some soul searching.

Sonny knew it was incredibly unfair of him to stay away from Ari once he had left Will. Even with Paul encouraging him to give Will and Ari space Sonny should have maintained his role as Ari's second father. _'I left Will. I shouldn't have left Ari.'_

'_But I made my choices and I can't take them back now. I need to just try to work everything out now.' _

Sonny realized on his trip that while a part of him will always regret that his relationship with Will didn't work out it was time to let that go.

'_Will told me in California and in Vegas that we were never getting back together and that he had moved on. And he's right. It was unfair of me to expect him to sit around waiting for me forever.' _

Sonny wasn't even sure what he would have done if Will did want to be with him again. '_And that's why I had to leave for a while to get my head on straight. I couldn't do that to Paul anymore.' _

Sonny never thought about it in all the time since he had left Will but a part of him did think that one day Will would come back into his life. A part of him held onto the idea of Will and Ari and the family he once thought was everything he ever wanted. Seeing Will again really hit Sonny in the face that that idea was never going to happen.

'_And I couldn't handle that,'_ Sonny knew. _'I couldn't handle the idea of Will being someone else's especially if that someone was Alex.' _

'_Not only was that unfair to Will to put that type of pressure on him when he didn't want it or know about it but it was an awful thing to do to Paul. I technically did to Paul what I had done to Will before. I created a life and let him to believe everything was fine when in the back of my mind I kept the thought of someone else.' _

'_So, I had to leave,'_ Sonny knew_. 'I had to leave and figure out exactly what and who I wanted and how to completely commit to it.'_

When Sonny came back to Salem yesterday he never once imagined he would run into his brother, Will and Ari. _'It seemed like a colossal joke. Just as I had decided I was ready to completely give up on that part of my life and commit to Paul, Will and Ari were there.'_

But seeing the easy way Will and Alex interacted, the way Ari fit with them so perfectly reinforced Sonny's decision_. 'Not to mention Ari looks at me like she wants to reach across the table and strangle me. But I deserve that.'_

'_I just don't want things to be like this forever,' _Sonny knew. _'I don't want to have to sit with mom and Lucas watching on as the rest of our family gets closer and closer to together.'_

There would always be a part of Sonny that wished things were different. A part of Sonny would wonder what would have happened if he had stayed with Will. Sonny would just take solace in the fact that for a time Will was his husband and Ari was his daughter.

'_And that is probably something Alex is never going to get.' _

Paul nervously took Sonny's hand in his. He too felt unsettled under Ari's fierce gaze. Paul vaguely wondered if she knew his role in all of this, if she blamed him. When Sonny finally came back home with his decision Paul was optimistically thrilled. He thought maybe now they would be able to settle things between them.

'_Hopefully,'_ Paul thought anxiously.

Ari wanted to take the orange slice in her hand and heave it across the table. When the boys down the table started to hold hands Ari felt something click inside her head. _'They're friends the way daddy and Alex were friends.' _

If it wasn't for her daddy's strong arm holding her tightly Ari might have given into the urge to jump onto the table and scream.

'_He left me for a boy,'_ Ari understood_. 'He left me and daddy to be with someone else and he didn't even care at all.' _

Will, feeling Ari tensing in his lap, kissed the back of her head and whisper, "It's OK."

Alex slowly placed his hand on Ari's little leg and squeezed it gently. If it was up to him he'd let her go wild but he knew he couldn't. _'I guess being supportive or whatever will have to work.' _

Ari nodded carefully. _'I don't need anyone but daddy and Alex. They aren't going to leave me. They love me. They aren't going to leave me. They love me. They aren't going to leave me. They love me.' _

Remembering the tight searing pain in her chest when her daddy told her the day before that he used to be married to that guy, Alex's brother, Sonny, Ari took a deep breath.

'_If I'm not allowed to throw things or yell I know what else I can do,'_ Ari thought a bit cruelly wanting to make him hurt as much as she hurt.

Ari turned on Will's lap so she was facing Alex. Keeping Alex's hand on her knee, Ari said, "When you marry daddy I think you should have cupcakes instead of a cake."

"Uh," Alex glanced at Will not entirely sure what he was supposed to say to that.

"Ari," Will started to say.

"I like cupcakes," Ari defended. "It's a little cake. I have loads more ideas though. I've changed my mind and don't want you to dress like princes. Now I want you to-"

Alex picked up an orange slice from Ari's plate and shoved it in her mouth, "Yum, yum, don't forget to eat."

"I thought she was joking when she mentioned that the other day and earlier," Kate said carefully.

Justin, concerned over the shocked look on Sonny's face, nodded, "I did not expect this at all."

"Dad," Alex tried to explain the misunderstanding.

Ari spat the orange out of her mouth before happily saying, "I told you. They're going to get married and live happily ever after because they're in love."

Will gave Ari a disapproving look. "Excuse us," he said as he lifted Ari and her plate of food and started to walk away.

"Well," Chad commented as Alex took off with Will and Ari, "Maybe Will is going to change his name this time."

Justin glared at Chad before turning to a shell-shocked Sonny.

* * *

Will found an empty picnic bench and put Ari on top of it.

"What was that all about?" Will questioned.

"What?" Ari shrugged starting to eat her food again. "I didn't yell and I didn't throw anything. I thought about what you said."

"What did I say?" Will demanded feeling Alex's hand on his lower back.

"You said to think about how everyone made me feel now," Ari said. "And I decided he made me feel upset so I wanted him to be upset."

"And the best way to do that," Alex tried to follow her logic, "Was to tell everyone we were getting married, again."

"Duh," Ari replied. "I saw the way your brother was looking at you two. And he used to be married to daddy. I knew he would feel sad if I told him about your wedding."

Alex, impressed Ari figured that out on her own, nodded approvingly.

Will lightly smacked Alex's arm, "Don't encourage her. Ari," Will looked at her again, "We told you just a few hours ago that we were thinking about it not that we had decided."

"So," Ari stared him in the eyes.

"So," Will shook his head, "You can't go around lying to everyone especially to make someone feel bad."

"Why?" Ari wondered. "It made me feel better."

"Because it's mean," Will explained. "You wouldn't want anyone to lie to you or to purposely feel bad."

"That's different," Ari said.

"No it's not," Alex responded.

"Well I can either be mean or I can throw things," Ari sniffed with her nose in the air, "You'll have to pick."

Will lifted an eyebrow at her, "Excuse me?"

Ari, not wanting to give in, turned her head away from her daddy.

"Look at me right now," Will ordered.

Ari put her hands over her ears and closed her eyes.

Sharing a look with Alex, Will finally decided to do what Ari's therapist had been bugging him to do for weeks.

"Arianna," Will demanded, "You have a reset."

When Ari didn't move Will urged her, "Your reset begins when you are still and quiet and looking at me."

Ari, disliking that tone of voice, sighed before putting her hands in her lap and looking at her daddy.

"I see that you are ready to listen," Will said in an upbeat tone. "Your reset is over."

Alex, shocked that actually worked, told the kid, "You aren't going to go around telling everyone we're getting married. You aren't going to lie to people. And you aren't going to purposely try to make anyone sad. Got it?"

Ari pressed her lips together before finally saying, "Fine."

"Thank you," Will stated before relaxing his shoulders slightly.

"Can I have my pie now?" Ari questioned looking at her mostly empty plate.

"Yes, you can have your pie," Will smiled glad that Ari was able to bounce back after that.

Will, Ari and Alex headed over to the table with the desserts on them. As Ari excitedly picked out which one she was going to eat no one noticed when someone walked over to them.

"That was quite the display," Victor Kiriakis huffed as he stood on the opposite side of the table from the three.

"No it wasn't," Alex responded. "But if you want to see a dramatic scene I would be more than happy to help."

"Charming as always, Alexander," Victor gave him a dismissive wave of his hand. "However, I was talking to Will."

Will finished putting the slice of pie Ari selected on her plate before saying, "Go sit down with grandma and eat this."

"OK," Ari looked at the old man suspiciously.

Once Ari was out of earshot Will looked expectantly at Victor, "Can I help you?"

"Did you really think you could come to town and I wouldn't find out about it?" Victor asked sardonically. "I know everything."

Alex crossed his arms and said, "Brady told you, didn't he?"

Victor narrowed his eyes and said, "Of all the people in the world you had to end up with this one."

Alex blinked a few times before saying, "Which one of us are you talking to?"

Ignoring his nephew Victor leaned on the table for support and told Will, "I should have kept eyes and ears on you when you skipped town. I should have guessed you wouldn't give up."

"Give up what?" Will rolled his eyes.

"This vendetta against Sonny," Victor tried to explain.

"What?" Will spat out not able to contain his laughter. "I'm sorry but that's ridiculous. Sonny can do whatever he wants. I really don't care."

"Sure you don't," Victor shook his head.

"Before you open your mouth and spew whatever bullshit you've got running through that brain," Alex interjected, "I'm afraid you're about six months too late for this conversation. If you actually did know anything, ever, you would already know everyone is past this. So, how about you go run off back to your retirement village and leave us the hell alone."

"You ungrateful-" Victor started to say before getting cut off.

"Ungrateful?" Alex spat. "Ungrateful of what? You sending someone to stalk us? You planning for practically the entire town to be here when you knew we wanted to keep this visit private? You standing around making accusations about two people you know absolutely nothing about? You being a giant fucking hypocrite? What?"

"And just so you know," Alex snidely added, "Apart from you absolutely everyone has been decent this entire picnic so whatever your little plan was didn't work."

Will, realizing half the people here were staring at them, tried to get a handle on the situation.

"Victor, I don't know what you think is happening here and I don't care. But you do not get to treat us like misbehaving children," Will informed Victor calmly.

"Don't get me started on you," Victor hissed. "If you've seen one desperate slut you've seen them all."

"Hey," Will gasped. "You do not get to talk to me like that."

Alex, fists clenched so hard his nails were digging painfully into his palms, was torn between jumping across the table and dragging Will bodily away from this stupid town and all of its stupid citizens.

"And you," Victor turned to Alex, "I thought you would have had a little bit more loyalty to this family," Victor gruffly responded. "That is assuming you even understand the meaning of the word."

Alex, fed up, was prevented from doing or saying anything when he heard a tiny, angry voice.

"Shut up," Ari, who had snuck closer to the three of them, screamed as she ran over. "You are mean and nasty and old!"

Victor, visibly startled to be talked to in such a manner, frowned heavily at the loud mouthed child.

"Don't talk to my daddy or my Alex that way," Ari ordered chest heaving with exertion.

Justin, Kate, Joey, Vic, Sonny, Paul and Chad all hurried after Ari and watched on, completely enthralled.

Maggie, Brady, Marlena and John who were sitting at a table nearby hurried over when they saw how upset Ari was.

"What's going on here?" Maggie wondered looking at Victor in concern.

"He's being mean to me," Ari started fake crying, putting her hands over her face and loudly wailing.

"Victor," Maggie scolded.

"I did no such thing," Victor tried to defend.

"Grandfather," Brady crossed his arms. "Look at the poor thing."

"That precious angel, how could you Victor?" Marlena reprimanded.

"He said that my daddy was a bad word," Ari sobbed. "And that my Alex wasn't my family. He hates me!"

Will, uncertain if he should go along with this or not, picked up Ari and tried to calm her down_. 'I should not be encouraging this.' _

"Why is he so mean?" Ari lifted her head off of Will's shoulder and tried to look as sad as possible. "What did we do? I just wanted to see my family."

"Oh, sweetheart, it's OK," Maggie gave Ari a sweet smile. "Victor is just a little rough around the edges. But I promise he's very sweet."

"He sent a scary man to follow us," Ari revealed in a frightened voice.

"Wow," John shook his head. "You've really done it now, Victor."

"I didn't," Victor looked around for help.

"Victor Kiriakis you should be ashamed of yourself," Maggie shook her head in disappointment. "The first time they've been to town and this is what you do."

"But I," Victor tried one more time to explain.

"Uncle Vic," Sonny said, "Leave them alone."

Everyone practically froze once Sonny started talking.

"Seriously," Sonny ignored the fact that all eyes were on him. "They're happy and together and there's nothing wrong with that. So, just, leave them alone."

Victor frowned with disapproval. He had no idea how things had gotten so far out of his control.

"There's no getting out of it this time," Maggie declared before putting her hand on Victor's arm and dragging him away.

Victor looked over at Alex, Will and Ari one last time. Victor was startled when Ari gave him a vicious smile and a victorious wave, face suspiciously free of tears.

"Wow," Alex tried not to laugh when everyone walked away. "That was impressive."

"Impressive," Will agreed, "And yet so, so wrong."

"I was using my powers for good, not for evil," Ari declared proudly.

"That was the greatest thing I've ever seen," Joey praised. "Oh my god, my desire to be your favorite has now increased even more."

"There is something extremely satisfying about seeing Victor Kiriakis falling to his knees because of a four year old with crocodile tears," Kate remarked extremely impressed. "That's my grandchild."

"I don't even know whose influence that came from," Justin chuckled, "Will or Alex."

"Definitely a combination," Chad observed.

Ari, clapping excitedly that everyone was proud of her, grabbed Vic and Joey's hands again and pulled them both towards the playground again.

* * *

Once everyone had filtered off Will and Alex found themselves alone with Sonny and Paul.

"Thanks for helping," Will told Sonny.

"It was the least I could do," Sonny nodded. "You definitely didn't deserve to hear that especially with Ari nearby."

"I could think of less you could be doing," Alex grunted slipping his hand into Will's back pocket.

Paul laughed. He didn't really want to admit it but Alex was actually fun to have around.

"Did you see how scared Victor looked when Maggie grabbed his arm?" Will chuckled.

"When the kid started yelling I thought he was going to have a stroke," Alex stated. "Or she was going to tackle him. Both of which would have worked for me."

"Alex," Sonny said, "You shouldn't be happy seeing an old man having a stroke."

"I'm gonna be happy when you have a stroke," Alex grumbled.

Will stared up at the sky in annoyance before finding Paul's eyes and smiling.

With Alex and Sonny good-naturedly bickering and Will and Paul rolling their eyes in exasperation, Will had to admit this was pretty nice.

'_Who would have guessed this would be my life?'_

* * *

"Thanks for letting us stay in the apartment," Will told Chad once again. "It was definitely better than the Salem Inn."

"It was no problem," Chad amiably said pulling Will into a big hug. "Maybe now though I don't have to be so covert about keeping up with you."

"I think the word you are looking for is stalking," Alex remarked.

"Stalking, shmalking," Chad waved his hand around before letting go of Will and yanking Alex into a hug.

"Yeah, yeah, thanks," Alex patted Chad on the back. Sadly, Alex thought Chad was growing on him.

"Move," Ari ordered before hugging Chad tightly.

"If anyone asks," Chad told her conspiratorially, "I'm totally your favorite."

Ari nodded enthusiastically.

Joey, hipchecking Chad out of his way, took Ari from him and said, "You just said that to make him happy, right? I'm totally the favorite."

"OK," Ari said sweetly before kissing Joey on the cheek.

Vic taking Ari next knocked their foreheads together, "Favorite?"

Ari nodded with a grin.

"Awesome," Vic said before giving Ari to his dad.

"I'm still extremely sorry about everything that happened before," Justin promised Ari. "And I promise I'm going to do everything I can to prove that."

"You better, Grandpa," Ari informed him.

"Will do, princess," Justin told her with a big hug.

Kate, sneaking up on Ari from behind, said, "That goes for me too."

"Of course it does," Ari nodded. "Love you, grandma, and grandpa."

Justin and Kate each kissed one of Ari's cheeks at the same time.

Finally down on the ground Ari walked over to her daddy and Alex who were talking with Sonny and Paul. Giving them each a cool once over Ari sighed loudly before sticking out her hand for a shake.

Sonny, smiling slightly, shook Ari's hand and said, "Bye, sweetheart. Maybe next time things won't be so weird between us."

"Maybe," Ari conceded shaking Paul's hand quickly.

* * *

Once all the goodbyes were over and they were walking away from the park Ari said, "I still don't like those last two very much."

"It'll take time, baby girl," Will replied. "But I know what you mean."

Alex pulled out his phone once he heard it ring. Seeing the name across the screen he frowned before answering reluctantly, "Hello?"

"Hi," Adrienne said over the line. She felt a bit ridiculous calling Alex when she could see him from the other side of the park but she had to.

Adrienne and Lucas wanted to visit with Alex, Will and Ari the entire time they were at the picnic but knew they would be unwelcome. They both saw how easily Alex, Will and Ari interacted with everyone else. An ease they never had when it came to Adrienne and Lucas.

Adrienne knew it was going to take more than a few uninvited visits for her and Lucas to get closer to their children. But seeing Alex and Will in Salem really hit them both hard.

'_Whenever we're with them everything is awkward and tense in a way it never is with anyone else,'_ Adrienne thought. She knew it was because her and Lucas didn't take the time or effort to get to know them.

'_But not anymore,'_ Adrienne vowed. _'Step by step we are going to get back into Alex, Will and Ari's lives.'_

"Uh, hi," Alex responded with a weird expression on his face. "Why are you calling?"

"I knew you wouldn't want to see me or Lucas," Adrienne answered honestly. "But we just wanted to let you and Will know that things are going to be different on our end. We're going to try from now on."

"Right," Alex wasn't sure what to make of this phone call.

"Have a safe flight back to California," Adrienne said, "I love you."

Hearing the call disconnect Alex put his phone away and said, "Well, that was weird."

"What was?" Will questioned.

"Adrienne and Lucas are apparently going to make an effort with us now," Alex told Will with a disbelieving look on his face.

"I'll believe that when I see it," Will commented lightly.

* * *

As Alex put the last of the bags in the trunk of the rental car Alex pulled something out of his pocket and shook it in front of Will's face.

Hearing the rattling Will rolled his eyes, "I don't want to."

"It's for our own good," Alex urged, "Now take the damn pill or I'll sneak it in your drink."

Sighing, Will opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue.

Alex smiled happily, "Good boy," he praised as he put the melatonin on Will's tongue.

* * *

All three were safely buckled into their car and on their way to the airport. Watching as Salem passed him by, Will said, "That wasn't too horrible in the end."

"Could have been worse," Alex agreed.

"Now it's behind us," Will commented, "And everyone can really move on."

* * *

Author's note:

And now they are back off to California.

What does everyone think is going to happen about the possibility of Will and Alex getting married? Will they? Won't they?

Please let me know what you thought.

Thank you for reading! Also, thank you to all of the guest reviewers. I very much appreciate your opinion.

And as always a very big thank you goes to iluvh0rs3s. I sincerely treasure your advice, suggestions and moral support.


	13. Chapter 13

_Will nervously walked into the new bar near his work. He and his blue-eyed mystery man, _'Alex,'_ he reminded himself, were meeting again that night. _

_Will slowly walked towards the relatively empty bar and sat in the same seat he had the night before. Running his hands up and down his thighs Will tried not to seem too anxious as he waited. _

'God, what if he doesn't show up? What if he thinks last night was a mistake? What if I'm not as exciting today as I was last night?'_ Will thought to himself. _'What if he was really drunk and now that he's sober he realized I wasn't what he wanted?'

'Someone like him wouldn't want anyone like me,' _Will caught himself thinking before scolding himself. _'No, stop it. New Will is confident and sleeps with strangers. He said he would meet me here. He's going to meet me here. Even if he doesn't there are plenty of other men out there.'

"_Waiting for me?" a voice whispered in Will's ear, dragging his fingertips across Will's shoulder and arms before stopping at his wrist. With a lewd smirk Alex lifted Will's hand and kissed the palm of Will's hand, "I was waiting for you." _

_Will inhaled sharply before exhaling slowly, trying to curb the rampart fluttering in his chest. _

"_Um, hi, I mean yes," Will shook his head quickly, "Yes, I was waiting for you." _

"_Good," Alex declared finding the blush on Will's cheeks attractive. "Do you want a drink?" _

"_No," Will admitted truthfully. He didn't know what it was about this man, practically a stranger, but he did things to Will. His eyes and his hands and his words wrapped Will up completely. They made him feel strange, confident. _

_Will stood up from his seat and started pulling Alex out onto the dance floor in almost a reversal of the night before. _

_Alex, eyes locked on Will's ass in those sinfully tight pants, pressed his front to Will's back finding an easy rhythm. _

_Rocking into Alex's hips Will closed his eyes and let the pounding of the bass guide his hips. With his eyes closed Will could still see the flashing technicolor lights overhead. He could feel the heat and friction of Alex's skin gliding against his like the night before. _

_Clutching tightly to Alex's hand wrapped around his waist Will leaned his head backwards, chest heaving with Alex's breath panting in his ear. _

"_Reminds me of yesterday," Alex teased, tongue swiping out along the shell of Will's ear, "Of you backing onto my cock so beautifully. God," Alex moved his other hand down the side of Will's thigh and squeezed, "It was like you couldn't get enough of me inside you." _

"_I couldn't," Will admitted softly, not sure if Alex even heard him. "Why do you think we went three rounds? I wanted you so bad." _

"_Fuck," Alex rubbed himself against Will's ass. He could still remember how gorgeous Will looked with his sweat soaked blonde hair flopping against his face as he bounced all over his cock. "Want you now." _

"_Yes," Will agreed but didn't make any move to detach himself from Alex. "Want you right here, right now." _

"_You're trying to fucking kill me," Alex groaned. "Come on," Alex reluctantly pulled away from Will and started dragging him to the entrance. "Before I shove you up against the bar and decide I don't care who is watching." _

_Barely outside the door, Will pushed Alex against the building, oblivious to the catcalls and lewd comments from the crowd waiting in line. _

"_Wh-" Alex tried to say before getting cut off by Will's lips. _

_Will licked across Alex's mouth, teasingly dipping his tongue inside before pulling away, "Just needed to do that." _

"_You can do that any fucking time you want, pet," Alex promised linking his arm with Will's and rushing towards his hotel a few blocks down the street. With his hand easily slipping into Will's back pocket Alex smirked to himself as he yanked Will even closer._

_Beep Beep Beep_

Will quickly shut off his alarm, annoyed it interrupted his dream. Rubbing his eyes and yawning widely Will really, really wished he could get back to sleep. Will and Alex had stayed up late into the night with their mouths and hands working the other over. Will assumed that was why he had dreamed about the second time he ever met Alex.

Rolling over on his side to shove Alex awake, Will frowned when he heard an odd crinkling noise.

Since they returned from their trip to Salem Ari had finally gone back to sleeping in her own bed. Unfortunately she got into the habit of leaving Will and Alex a gift in their bed. Will had no idea when she had the time to do it since she was always still sleeping when he checked on her in the morning.

Every morning Will and Alex would find a meticulously detailed drawing of what Ari envisioned for their wedding. The wedding Will and Alex still had not even decided they wanted.

Sighing, Will pulled the slightly crinkled picture out from under him. This time the picture showcased different flowers.

Alex, barely awake, leaned over to look at the picture.

"How does she even know about flower arrangements?" Alex questioned in a sleep laced voice before flopping back on his pillow.

"My mom keeps letting her watch wedding shows on TLC," Will revealed around a wide yawn. "I found all the girls watching the other day."

"They do realize it's our potential wedding and not theirs, right?" Alex had to double check.

"No, I'm pretty sure none of them know that," Will said. "Do you know what you want to do yet?"

Alex looked the picture over again, "No, not really."

"Me either," Will admitted before tossing off his covers and standing up. "I better go wake Ari up."

"Nope," Alex crawled over the bed to wrap his arms around Will. "She can sleep another half hour. There is a hot shower with our name on it."

Will didn't need any more encouragement than that.

* * *

"How do you not know if you want to get married or not?" Brittany, one of Will's friends from work, questioned judgmentally.

"I just don't," Will shrugged before taking a bite of his lunch. "Besides," Will added once he swallowed, "It's not like either of us have even proposed or anything. We're just thinking about the possibility."

"Uh huh," Brittany gave Will an odd look. "Well whatever you decide it better be soon. I doubt your daughter is going to give up any time soon."

"Unfortunately she is pretty damn resilient about this," Will agreed nervously playing with some amber beads on a bracelet he was wearing. "I don't know why she's so obsessed with the idea though."

"She's a little girl," Brittany said. "She wants to live a fairy tale. I think it's cute."

"I thought it was cute a few weeks ago," Will disclosed, "Now it's just annoying."

"How is it not cute that she went as a bride for Halloween?" Brittany cooed. "She was so adorable with her ringlets and her flower bouquet."

"OK," Will admitted, "That was cute. But still."

"She even convinced Alex to be her groom," Brittany gushed. "Come on, like that doesn't warm your heart."

"Yes, OK," Will sighed. "It gave me warm, fuzzy feelings. That still doesn't mean I want to get married."

"She had your mom dress up as a photographer to follow them around," Brittany continued oblivious to Will's dilemma. "It was the cutest thing."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Will knew it was. They ended up taking so many pictures that night he thought Alex was going to kill him when he went to upload them.

Brittany gave Will an odd look before rolling her eyes.

"Admit you want to marry Alex and this would all be over," Brittany replied in an exasperated tone.

"I don't know if I want to though," Will retorted. "That's the problem."

"You have a gorgeous guy that adores you and your daughter," Brittany reminded Will, "And you don't know if you want to commit to spending the rest of your life with him?"

"We both already said we wanted to be together forever already," Will breathed. "It's the getting married part I don't know about."

"No offense, Will," Brittany shook her head and looked at him like he was stupid. "But if I had a guy like Alex I would marry him in a heartbeat."

"Speaking of that," Will pulled out his phone, "There is someone I was thinking about introducing you to. But he wants a picture first."

Brittany fluffed her hair and made sure to put on some lipgloss before letting Will take a picture.

"Who is this for exactly?" Brittany asked once Will was finished.

"One of Alex's brothers," Will admitted.

"Does he look like Alex?" Brittany demanded thoughts getting carried away easily.

"No," Will gave her an unamused expression. "But he's cute and goofy and insists on sending a picture of himself for Ari to look at every day."

Will pulled up one picture of Joey with a ridiculously bright, cheesy grin on his face.

"Alright," Brittany nodded at the picture. "He'll do."

* * *

"Wait," Vic said over the phone, "You still haven't figured this out? What is the hold up?"

"It's a lot to think about," Alex grumbled.

"I don't think it's supposed to be that hard," Vic reluctantly said. "I mean, if you have to think about it this long it doesn't sound like it's something you really want."

"Well," Alex groaned into the phone, "Can you actually picture me married to someone?"

"No," Vic responded instantly. "But then again I never imagined seeing you in a lasting relationship. I never thought I'd see the day where you were in love and happy and smiled easily. But yet here you are."

Alex grunted in response.

"You're in a committed relationship. You have a house. All with a kid too," Vic shook his head in disbelief. "Those are definitely things I'd never expect out of you."

"Me either," Alex admitted quietly. Staring at a piece of wall art Will had given him, Alex said, "But I kind of like it now. I think I like me now better than before."

"Alex, I say this with love," Vic told him, "Everyone likes you better now that you aren't a massive asshole."

"At least not all the time," Alex snorted.

Vic chuckled agreeably before saying, "Speaking of that have you talked to mom any?"

Alex smirked at that comparison before saying, "I email her every now and again. It's much more effective than trying to talk on the phone."

"So I heard," Vic commented, "I also heard she asked you to send some pictures of Ari from Halloween."

"And I did," Alex rolled his eyes.

"She also said," Vic began disapprovingly, "That you managed to sneak in a few of you and Sami."

"What?" Alex asked innocently. "I sent all the Halloween ones we took. It's not my fault I spend time with Sami."

"Uh huh," Vic said unimpressed. "That was mean and you know it."

"What would really be mean," Alex began, "Is if I told her Sami and I have a standing lunch date every week."

"You do not," Vic argued.

"Sure I do," Alex smirked, "Maybe I'll send a picture of that next time she asks."

"You're awful and I don't know why I love you," Vic complained dramatically.

"Life would be dull and colorless without me," Alex instantly replied. "By the way I have a Christmas list for you from Ari if you want it."

"It's still November," Vic pointed out.

"Do you think she cares about that?" Alex remarked. "Besides this one is specifically for you."

"Wait, really?" Vic perked up a bit in his desk chair.

"Before you get excited," Alex said, "She made individual lists for everyone."

"Oh," Vic sighed a bit. He thought he was making headway with Ari.

"And please for the love of all that is holy do not buy her everything on the list," Alex practically begged as he uploaded the list to an email and sent it to Vic. "She's spoiled enough as it is. I think this Christmas is going to be the worst yet."

* * *

"Seriously?" Will asked when he walked into his mom's house after a long day at work.

He had a few department meetings that ran into the evening. Alex was busy with a photoshoot so Sami offered to pick up Ari. Will was getting awfully annoyed that it kept happening lately.

'_And of course this is what they would be doing with their time. Of course,'_ Will thought feeling betrayed.

"What?" Sami wondered feeling a tiny bit guilty.

"Really?" Will rolled his eyes seeing his mom, Ari, Sydney and Allie all sitting on the couch glued to the TV. "There will be no dress for anyone to say yes to."

"I get a dress," Ari insisted not even looking away from the screen.

"No one is buying you a wedding dress," Will stressed. "And again there might not even be a wedding at all."

"Will," Allie turned towards him, blonde hair dramatically flipping in the air, "Get real."

"Oh my god," Will closed his eyes. "You are all ridiculous. And you," Will pointed at his mother accusingly, "Why are you going along with this?"

"I like weddings," Sami shrugged, "So sue me."

"You've had enough of your own," Will pointed out, fiddling with his bracelet again, "You don't need to be planning an imaginary one for me."

"But daddy I need it to be happy," Ari whined before closing her mouth when the show came back from a commercial.

"Right," Will shook his head, "Where's Johnny? I need some more testosterone in my life."

"At his friend's house," Sami replied, engrossed watching a bride try on a dress that was way out of her budget. "For some reason he didn't want to be here."

"I can't imagine why," Will muttered to himself as he turned and walked away.

Heading into the kitchen for a drink Will frowned when he saw a pile of bridal magazines, scissors, poster board and glue sticks on the table.

'_Good lord,'_ Will thought before putting back the soda he was going to grab and finding a bottle of wine instead. _'Definitely going to need this.'_

At first when Ari expressed her desire to see Will and Alex get married everyone thought it was sweet. Her ideas for convincing the two were rather adorable at first too. Ari would casually mention how happy she would be if her daddy married Alex. She'd watch a few cartoons where the characters got married. Ari would draw a few pictures. Then came the day Ari informed Sami of her wishes.

_'The day that changed everything,'_ Will thought unhappily.

Sami, warming to the idea immediately, took Ari, Sydney and Allie to various craft stores and let them wander in the wedding sections. They started buying magazines and looking at websites online. Ari convinced Sami to buy her a bride costume for Halloween. Ari went through several pads of paper all depicting her dream wedding: dresses, locations, flowers, food, cakes, etc.

Everywhere Will went he was bombarded with questions and pictures and incessant demands of, "When are you marrying Alex? Why haven't you decided, Daddy? What if he gets tired of waiting, Daddy? Daddy, Daddy, Daddy?"

Will wasn't sure how much more of it he could stand.

* * *

About a half hour later Alex came into the kitchen and shivered, "I felt like Dante walking through the circles of hell getting in here."

"Already ahead of you," Will poured a glass of wine for Alex. "Unfortunately it's not any better in here."

Alex took a look at the collages covering the table and frowned, "Ugh, this crap is getting out of hand."

"Doesn't make you want to rush out and get married does it?" Will quipped before clanging his glass against Alex's.

"Nope," Alex replied before taking a sip. "None of this even looks like anything we would want," Alex said giving the glitzy picture of a table setting a look of distaste.

"God," Will rolled his eyes. "Let's get out of here," Will picked up his glass and grabbed Alex's wrist and moved them outside.

"Finally," Alex breathed, "No girlish sighs, glitter or wedding talk."

"It's like that's all anyone can talk about anymore," Will complained as he sat down at the patio table. "We can't escape it."

"We can now," Alex insisted. "No talks of weddings, marriage or anything."

"Good," Will agreed. "How are your latest pictures coming?"

"Good," Alex acknowledged. "It's been a long process trying to find that many subjects but I think it's going to turn out the way I want it to."

"I didn't think finding that many pregnant women would be hard," Will commented. "But I think it's an interesting concept."

"It's pretty different from my other stuff," Alex shrugged, "But I kind of like documenting the changes as they get bigger. It's beautiful in a different way from any of my other photos. Also scary as hell."

"Thankfully I never had to see that close up with Gabi," Will said with a smile. He didn't exactly have the greatest memories of Gabi being pregnant but it was all worth it in the end.

"What?" Alex asked in a mocking tone. "You don't want to see stretch marks and little baby appendages poking out of some stomachs?"

"I'm sure you'll find a way to make it work," Will patted Alex's hand. "Or traumatize some people. One of the two."

"That's how I know it's good," Alex nodded, "If it offends someone I know I'm golden."

"So," Alex wondered, "What about you? Anything new in the world of journalism and blogging?"

"Not really," Will lifted one shoulder up in a shrug. "I keep getting the same type of articles at the paper and it drives me nuts."

"You should look around for another position then," Alex offered very seriously. Seeing Will's eyebrows furrow Alex added, "You should. You're fucking talented and should be able to show that off."

"Thanks," Will licked his lips, catching the bottom one between his teeth. "I guess I'd have to look around and see if there's anything I'd be interested in."

"You should," Alex encouraged. "Seems a damn waste to write about shit you don't care about."

"It is hard producing things I don't really want to write," Will admitted thoughtfully.

"Well," Alex took a swig of his wine. He had something he wanted to say but he wasn't sure how well Will was going to take it. "You could always stop working at the paper and just do the blog stuff. That way you could take time to write what you really want."

"What do you mean?" Will questioned.

"I don't know," Alex shrugged, "You have all those journals with ideas in them. If you had the time you could actually write some of them out. Write a book or something."

"Oh," Will pressed his lips together and blinked several times.

Will did like that idea. As much as he loved journalism there was always a soft spot in his heart for fiction. Alex was right. He did have an entire box full of journals from over the years full of story ideas and half-formed plots.

'_It would be incredible to actually take the time to write something I wanted just for me. To sit down and let my fingers fly and my mind take me wherever it wants to go,'_ Will thought falling more and more in love with the idea.

Alex watched Will's face as the idea really started taking hold of him. Alex was all for the idea. He would have suggested it months ago but Will was still pretty uptight about money.

'_But since we got back from Salem he's started easing up,'_ Alex recalled. _'Ari isn't as clingy and Will isn't as obsessed with being completely independent from me.' _

Alex didn't think Will really knew what he was doing but at times it felt like Will took on so many projects and jobs because he was determined his life wouldn't fall apart if Alex left. That if Alex walked out the door and never came back Will would be financially set if it ever came to that. Alex understood that fear. He understood that Will wanted that safety net but at the same time he was hoping they had reached the stage in their relationship it was no longer necessary.

'_Couldn't exactly get married to someone that deep down is still terrified I might leave,'_ Alex ruefully thought.

"Don't worry about money either," Alex finally said. "Because you know we could make it work. We'd probably have to cut down on a few things but it's definitely manageable."

"Yeah?" Will said feeling a little overwhelmed.

"We'd probably have to stop with the constant Disneyland trips which frankly would be a godsend," Alex admitted. "But I'm sure it would be fine. Besides," Alex caught Will's eye, "It would be worth it for you to be happier."

Will grinned, "Oh really?"

"Yeah," Alex dipped his head a bit bashfully. "Are you going to think about it?"

"Of course," Will easily answered. "I really, really love the idea."

Will pushed back his chair and stood up. Sitting down on Alex's lap Will said, "And I really, really love you."

"Right back at you," Alex whispered before kissing Will.

* * *

"See," Ari pointed a small finger at the patio door, "Look at that! They need be married like yesterday."

"It's true," Sydney agreed one hand placed over her heart. "They're so cute."

"All my friends think so too," Allie informed everyone. "They're just in denial."

"Get away from the window," Sami demanded as she finished ordering dinner over the phone.

"But grandma, look," Ari complained. "They're doing the kissy thing where Alex puts his hands all over daddy's butt."

"That's it," Sami shooed everyone away. "Get back to the TV or finish your collages or something. No spying."

Taking a glance outside herself Sami smiled seeing Will and Alex with their heads bent low as they whispered together.

Walking away from the door, Sami smiled when she saw her daughters and granddaughter hard at work on Ari's wedding collage. Sami knew she should have put a stop to this a while ago but she couldn't help herself. She really did love weddings.

'_And yes I have had more than my fair share,'_ Sami rolled her eyes remembering Will's comment. _'But I can't help how much fun we're having.' _

Sami had her own opinion on if Will and Alex should get married or not but she was keeping it to herself. She knew it was a decision the two needed to make together. The first time Will had been contemplating this same decision everyone in town had an opinion on the matter.

'_And we all decided that Will had to marry Sonny even though he wasn't certain. If we didn't push Will maybe things would have been different.'_

This time Sami was determined to stay out of it.

'_Well,'_ Sami thought as he picked up a magazine and cut out a picture of a cake she thought was gorgeous, _'I'm staying as out of it as I can. What can I say? I love weddings.'_

* * *

Will slowly dragged his fingers through Alex's hair, the beads on his bracelet clanging together loudly near Alex's ear.

Frowning slightly, Alex grabbed Will's wrist and looked at the source of the clanking sound. A bit surprised, Alex asked, "Why are you wearing this?"

"I found it in my drawer the other day," Will confessed. "I figured now would be a pretty good time to see I they work or not. Besides," Will smiled slightly, "You gave them to me."

"I remember," Alex said as he touched the beads carefully. "I just haven't seen them in a while."

"I haven't really needed them," Will shyly replied.

* * *

"_Hey," Will greeted with a small, nervous smile. He had been seeing Alex for a few months now but he still got an anxious fluttering in his stomach whenever he saw him. _

"_Hi," Alex curtly responded. He didn't want to admit it but he was pretty damn nervous about their date. He had never really done the whole Valentine's Day thing before, at least not in a traditional kind of way. _

'Not with anyone that mattered,'_ Alex thought as he bounced his right leg up and down before grabbing Will's hand and yanking him into the restaurant. Alex almost felt an even bigger pressure on himself to get something perfect for Will since they had both admitted how they really felt about the other only a few weeks ago._

_Will followed along easily. He was used to Alex's brisk behavior now. Sometimes it was a bit disconcerting but other times Will appreciated the candor. _

_The two ordered, ate and enjoyed each other's company the same way they always had. There were hardly any awkward or uncomfortable moments between them. The conversation always flowed and they never ran out of things to say or do. _

_After the bill was paid (Alex had grabbed it first that time) the two started walking along the street enjoying the lights on the buildings downtown as well as the company. _

_With Will holding onto his arm, Alex jingled the bracelet in his pocket nervously. He had never given a Valentine's present before. _

'At least not one that wasn't dirty,'_ Alex thought. He had no idea what to give Will to show that he cared about him but wasn't also a giant cliché. _

_Eventually Alex figured out the perfect gift. _'Well,' _he reminded himself, _'Technically I'm recycling the perfect gift.'

"_What's with you?" Will questioned, knocking Alex out of his trace-like concentration. _

"_Uh," Alex licked his lips and tried not to give too much away, "I got something for you." _

"_Oh," Will smiled, "I have something for you but I left it at home. And no, not in a dirty way." _

"_Damn," Alex whispered despite feeling something warm bubbling inside of him. He had never gotten something traditional for Valentine's Day before either. _

"_So," Will pulled them to the side of the walkway so they weren't in the way, "Do you want to go back with me and open them?" _

_With Will looking up at him with those big blue eyes Alex thought he might have agreed to go anywhere, "Yes," Alex said in a husky tone. "Yes, I do."_

* * *

"_Looks like everyone is asleep," Will whispered as he unlocked the door to his mother's house. "I put Ari to bed before I left." _

_Alex nodded. He knew Will and the kid both had trouble letting the other go. But Alex didn't really mind the late dates. It gave him something to look forward to all day. _

"_You want to sneak up to my room," Will teased as he started pulling Alex towards the stairs. _

"_I don't know," Alex shook his head while playing along, "I wouldn't want to get caught." _

"_I think I'll make it worth your while," Will assured him with one deep, playful kiss. _

_The two raced as quietly as they could up the stairs before softly closing Will's door behind them. Will wrapped his arms around Alex's neck, pushing him towards the bed. _

_Alex, as much as he appreciated Will's kisses, knew he needed to give him his present before he went insane. _

"_Wait," Alex said in between kisses, "Present." _

"_Mmm," Will kissed Alex one last time, "OK, you're right. Presents first. Do you want to go first or me?" _

"_Uh," Alex shoved his hand in his pocket, "I guess me." _

_Leg bouncing again, palms sweating; Alex tried to school his features into something cool and collected. "I guess I should explain it before I give it to you. I tried really hard to think of something for you. And everything I came up with sucked." _

_Will smiled at Alex. He really, really loved it when Alex rambled. _

"_And I tried looking online and that was a disaster. Nothing was good enough for you or was anything close to who we are," Alex shook his head trying to focus, "Then I remembered something that I bought a long time ago, for me." _

"_It was the last family vacation I went on," Alex started explaining, "I was just about to graduate high school and we went to Greece." _

_Will nodded encouragingly, grabbing Alex's free hand. He tried not to think too hard about exactly who was in Alex's family. _

"_Anyway," Alex continued on not wanting to dwell on that part, "I'm not a big souvenir person but I wanted something. So, my dad took me to this really old place and I got this." _

_Alex took out the bracelet he had had for over a decade and put it in the palm of Will's hand. _

_Will examined the bracelet carefully. It was comprised of about 19 amber beads on a black thread with a small tassel on the end. _

"_In Greek it's called __komboloi but it's just worry beads," Alex explained. Lifting it out of Will's hand he started instructing Will on how it worked, "You're supposed to start here," Alex started tipping the bracelet slightly, "And let the beads slide down one at a time. It's to help let your worries and stress go one bead at a time. Or as just a means to pass time." _

"_You've had it for that long?" Will wondered holding out his wrist for Alex to put it on him. _

"_Yeah," Alex admitted, "It's not like I wore it all the time but whenever I get nervous and shit I play with it. And you make me nervous," Alex confessed. "But just like with the beads the more I touch and play the less worried I feel about you." _

_Will kissed Alex on the cheek softly several times. "And you say you have no idea how to do relationships," Will shook his head in disbelief._

"_Just with you," Alex disclosed. "Just you." _

"_I think my present is going to blow in comparison," Will admitted wrinkling his nose and giving Alex a sheepish smile. _

"_I want to make a dirty comment but I'm afraid you'll slap me," Alex said making Will laugh. _

"_Shut up," Will chuckled getting off his bed and grabbing the box he wrapped for Alex. "It was hard finding something for you." _

"_You're not making the dirty jokes any less difficult to hold in," Alex mumbled. _

"_Alex," Will laughed again. "I couldn't think of anything that great and I don't have anything very sentimental for you. But I thought about how much you love me and how much I love you." _

"_I like where this is going," Alex nodded trying not to smile. _

"_So," Will pinched Alex in the side, "I was looking around for something to describe the both of us and I found this." _

_Alex took the proffered box and unwrapped it quickly. Lifting the lid off the box, Alex saw a simple piece of wood art with a quote on it. _

"_I know it's pretty cheesy," Will rushed to explain, "But I thought it summed us up pretty well." _

"_I like it," Alex confessed, putting the box aside to pull Will into his arms, "I like it a lot." _

_The wall art that would be hung in Alex's art studio was a quote from Sophocles, "One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life, that word is love."_

* * *

"I probably could have used them when Ari was really getting bad," Will admitted, "But I kind of forgot."

"So did I," Alex nodded in agreement. "Are they helping you now?"

"Little bit," Will divulged, "Although they honestly just remind me of loving you which doesn't really help the problem at hand."

Alex put a finger over Will's mouth to silence him, "Remember, this is a no wedding no marriage zone."

"Right," Will shook his head trying to focus. "Right."

"But," Alex grabbed Will's bracelet and started tipping the beads. "We are alone without anyone around to pressure us. Maybe we should just bite the bullet and get this decision over with."

Will frowned, "That's not a very romantic way to figure this out."

Alex rolled his eyes, "Probably because this isn't a very romantic situation. We're being coerced by a four year old into getting married."

"That's true," Will acknowledged. "Sometimes I wonder if she just wants the wedding or if she wants what it is supposed to symbolize."

"No I definitely think she just wants a fancy party with fancy decorations and a big floofy dress," Alex stated.

"Well," Will thought it over, "What's so wrong about that?"

"What do you mean?" Alex questioned, one arm around Will's waist and the other tipping the beads loudly.

"Ari wants us to be together forever," Will started talking out loud, formulating a plan. "We want that as well. But the two of us don't need the big party or the vows or the rings or the license."

"No, no we don't," Alex watched Will's face carefully. He knew that was Will's thinking face.

"So," Will rubbed his lips together as he contemplated, "Maybe if we give her the party and the promises we can find a middle ground."

"Meaning what exactly?" Alex wondered not quite following Will's thought process.

"Let's face it," Will took Alex's hand away from the beads and held it between both of his. "You and I love each other completely and we both want to be together for the rest of our lives."

Alex nodded along unable to look away from Will's eyes.

"But neither of us really believe in marriage," Will confessed. "We're both too realistic for that. And I think the reason we haven't made a decision is because we both know what it's going to be."

"That we don't want to get married," Alex said knowing deep down that it was true.

Alex didn't want to get married even if it was to Will. He might have thought about the possibility from time to time but he knew it wasn't something he was going to comfortable with.

'_I just didn't know how to tell Will or Ari,'_ Alex admitted. _'I didn't want to hurt either of them.'_

"Exactly," Will let go of Alex's hand, adjusted himself on Alex's lap slightly and grabbed his face instead. "And it's not because we don't love each other because we do. And it's not that we don't want to spend our lives together because we do."

"OK," Alex nodded again. "Then what are you saying?"

"I'm saying," Will smiled again, "If Ari wants the party and she wants the commitment maybe we can give that to her without making it official."

"So," Alex leaned into one of Will's palms, "We have a commitment ceremony or something."

"Yeah," Will nodded. "We can't give her something we don't want or feel comfortable doing. But I have no issues proclaiming I want to be yours forever in front of Ari."

"In my experience," Will continued, "Marriage is when it all starts to fall apart. Maybe that wouldn't happen with us but a part of me is always going to feel that way. A part of me is going to be terrified that we made a horrible mistake."

"Yeah," Alex nodded. "I know what you mean. And I think a part of me might only want to marry you because you were married to Sonny before me."

Will thought as much, "I do want to be with you forever, Alex. And I know you want that too. I believe you want that too. So maybe if the only promise we make is to each other and Ari than we won't be afraid that it's going to all fall apart."

"Yes" Alex agreed. "Besides, we aren't exactly the most traditional of couples."

"What?" Will teased, "I thought you were proud you only knew me a few minutes before I slept with you."

"Well I do like to brag about it," Alex grinned. "It's still not a very customary courtship."

"I like that about us," Will declared. "I like that we fell into bed quickly and took our time getting to know each other before anything serious happened. I like that we had a whole bunch of outside drama but nothing really internal."

"I like that I fell for you slowly," Alex confessed. "That you have a part of me that no one else ever will."

"I like that too," Will beamed. "I think that's a part of why we work so well. We've both experienced different things and relationships and yet we both got to the same place together at the same time."

"I guess it makes sense," Alex finally said, "For us to keep on doing everything in a roundabout way."

Will kissed Alex softly on the mouth, "Maybe in 50 years we'll get the urge to get married," Will said, "But for now just promising to ourselves and to Ari is enough for me."

"Same," Alex kissed Will again.

"Although," Alex started talking, "If we're having a big party those she-demons in there," Alex pointed to the house, "Are being reeled in. I am not committing to you in a giant circus tent with hundreds of people there. I want this thing to be small and just us, maybe your mom and siblings. That's who our family was in the beginning. Plus, I'm not too sure anyone else would really get it."

"And," Will looked at Alex knowingly, "You like doing big things without your family knowing it."

"OK maybe that too," Alex admitted shamelessly.

"Uh huh, maybe," Will smiled fondly. "Or you can't wait to see your dad and brothers again and see how long it takes for someone to figure it out."

"I'm not that bad," Alex argued despite knowing it was true. "But I really do just want it to be you, me and Ari. Maybe we can have the fancy party afterwards but I just want you two there. We're doing this for her and for us, no one else."

"I understand," Will hugged Alex and rested his head on his shoulder. "But I do think your dad might be a little crushed if we didn't tell him."

"I might like that a little bit though," Alex said before relenting. "OK, maybe we can invite them to the party but that's it."

Will chuckled, breath puffing against Alex's neck, "Ari is going to be even more ridiculous once we tell her she does get to help with a party."

"Help," Alex stressed, "But she is not in charge. I don't care what she thinks."

* * *

Alex and Will sat next to each other at the dinner table trying to decide when would be the perfect time to tell everyone what they decided. They both figured it should be now. Everyone was there including Johnny who came home for dinner.

Once everyone was essentially done eating Will cleared his throat and said, "Alex and I came to a decision about getting married."

Ari practically started bouncing out of her seat barely able to contain her excitement. She knew all her pressuring would pay off.

"OK," Sami said calmly trying to hold in her own excitement and nerves. "What have you decided?"

Will looked at Alex, they both figured outside that Will would be better at explaining than Alex would.

"We gave it a lot of thought and we both decided that," Will didn't want to break Ari's heart so he desperately hoped she could accept the compromise they were willing to offer her. "We don't want to get married."

Ari drooped in her seat. Her big eyes watering instantly, "What?"

"But," Will continued loudly when practically all of his siblings started talking at once, "We have decided to do something else instead."

"What?" Ari demanded sniffling her nose feeling completely dejected.

Alex grabbed Will's hand and took over, "We both don't believe in needing to be married to affirm our feelings however we want to do something that shows you," Alex looked directly at Ari, "That we're serious about our intentions."

"Just tell me," Ari demanded angrily, tiny hands balled into fists. She was trying very hard not to overreact. Her therapist had given her many exercises to control her angry and it was taking every last one not to lash out.

"It's called a commitment ceremony," Will rushed to explain to Ari. "It's almost like getting married except it's not legally binding."

"What is that?" Ari had never heard of it before but she liked the words.

Over the past few weeks that she had been working on her plans her grandma and aunts had taught her a lot about weddings. Since Ari couldn't read by herself very well yet grandma, Allie or Sydney would read the magazines to Ari.

'_All of them used words like commitment and ceremony,'_ Ari thought feeling a tiny flicker of hope in her tummy.

"Well, baby girl," Will tried his best to explain it in a way she would understand, "How Alex and I want to do it is to set up a private time to express how we feel about each other and what we want in the future."

"Are there rings?" Ari wondered. Allie had been reading her beautiful passages about all different kinds of rings and their meanings.

"If we want," Alex answered. He and Will hadn't really discussed that but he was sure there could be.

"Do I get to pick out my own dress?" Ari asked again starting to feel happier.

"Yes," Will gave a deep sigh. _'Of course that's all she wants.'_

"Do I get a ring?" Ari continued giving them a sweet, innocent smile.

Alex gave Ari a sharp look, "No. You also aren't going on a TV show to find a dress. And there will be no camera crews following us around," Alex shot Sami the same look.

"I didn't do anything," Sami held up her hands innocently. _'Better cancel that appointment then.' _

"After the ceremony," Will continued smiling at Ari's pout, "We'll have a party of some kind. That you all can help us figure out."

Hearing the excited shrieks and cheers Alex reminded them all, "Help not plan yourselves. So keep that in mind. We get the final say."

"What do you think?" Will asked Ari after she calmed down a bit.

Ari jumped out of her chair and ran around to the other side of the table, "I am the happiest girl in the whole big, big, big world."

Ari gave Will and Alex a wide hug and a big, sloppy kiss before twirling around the kitchen happily. Allie and Sydney began dancing around too before all three girls ran upstairs giggling and shrieking.

Ari knew she was going to need more help compiling all of her ideas together. She had paid enough attention to Alex and his artwork to know you had to put together a portfolio if you wanted your ideas to be taken seriously.

Johnny, a small frown on his face, stared at Alex menacingly.

"Can I help you?" Alex asked trying not to smirk. He had an easy going relationship with Johnny but every now and again Johnny liked to pull out the protective brother card.

"You want to be committed to my brother and yet you didn't even ask me for permission," Johnny shook his head and crossed his arms. "I find myself disappointed."

Will and Sami caught each other's eyes and smiled. He reminded both of them of EJ the older he got.

"Forgive me," Alex held in an eye roll. "Johnny, can I please have your permission to commit myself to Will?"

"I'll think about it," Johnny declared before pushing away from the table and heading for his bedroom.

Will and Sami waited until Johnny was out of sight before they burst into laughter.

"The things I do for you," Alex told Will before finishing off his glass of wine.

"You know," Will disclosed to his mom, "Somedays I think I would pay big money to have seen Alex and EJ interact."

Sami snorted, "That would have been fantastic."

"You two say that all the time," Alex dismissed, "I'm still confident I could have handled it."

"Isn't he cute?" Will asked his mother.

"Adorable," Sami agreed. "So," she said looking between the two, "This is what you really want?"

"Yes," Will confirmed. "We both know that marriage isn't for us but we wanted to give Ari and ourselves some reassurances."

Sami glanced at Alex.

"It's what's best for us," Alex added. "We both think marriage is the catalyst for the end. This way we get the same effect without the added pressure."

"If you're both happy than I'm happy," Sami revealed.

"You gonna tell us what you were thinking this whole time now?" Will questioned knowing his mother had been going crazy holding in her opinion.

"What's there to say?" Sami shrugged. "I know how you feel about this stuff. And sure a mother wants her son to grow up and get married but I can't complain. I just want you to be happy no matter what decision you make."

"Thank you," Will said with a big grin. "But?"

"But," Sami gave Will an annoyed look, "I am happy there's going to be a party because I have lots of ideas."

"Just as long as you remember this is for us," Alex indicated to himself and Will, "And not for you."

"I would never," Sami said trying to sound offended before giving up. "OK, I'll try but I make no promises."

* * *

"Did I mention I'm the happiest girl in the whole entire world?" Ari asked with a lazy smile on her sleepy face.

"Just once or twice," Will replied from his spot on her bed watching as Alex braided her hair.

"All fucking night," Alex said under his breath.

"Well I am," Ari said around a yawn. "So, so happy."

"I would hope so," Will told her. "You might have given us some hints the past few weeks it would make you happy."

"I only gave a few hints," Ari insisted slyly.

"Uh huh," Alex grunted before pulling her hair tight.

"Does this mean you'll let up on the drawings in our bed?" Will wondered feeling slightly amused.

"Dunno," Ari shrugged.

"Done," Alex declared flipping her long braid over her shoulder.

"Thank you," Ari said before flopping onto her bed. Rolling closer to Will, Ari snuggled against his thigh, "Now story."

"I don't know," Alex teased. "We might need a new story soon, seems like yours is all done."

"No," Ari complained, "My story."

"I don't know," Will added sharing a wide smile with Alex, "You're getting your happily ever after. That's when the story ends."

"No," Ari shook her head several times. "No, it can go on and on and on forever. Because we're going to be together forever and ever and ever."

"That's right, baby girl," Will smiled softly at her. "We are."

"I think I got a story," Alex told them both. "It's about the time the annoying little princess whined and whined and whined until she got what she wanted and drove everyone in her kingdom crazy."

"Hey," Ari stuck out her lower lip.

"Once upon a time the princes and their princess traveled back to the horrible kingdom of Salem," Alex began in a mystical voice.

* * *

"So," Will said as he laid his head on Alex's chest as they lied in bed. "We're really doing this, huh?"

"It was your idea," Alex reminded Will. When Will smacked his chest Alex smiled and admitted, "Which I obviously want to happen to. I'm just saying. When everyone wants to hear the story I'm telling them you asked me."

"I didn't ask you," Will laughed with a snort. "We agreed."

"Nope," Alex shook his head and pushed his lips out teasingly. "I don't remember it that way. I remember you telling me how you couldn't possibly live without me and before I knew it you were asking me."

"You are so full of crap," Will tried to move away from Alex.

"I'm telling everyone," Alex said loudly, grabbing Will's arm. "Everyone!"

"You are not," Will rolled on top of Alex and pinned him down. "Take it back!"

"Mmm," Alex thought about it, enjoying Will sitting on him and moving against him. "Maybe I'll think about it but only if you make it worth my while."

"Oh, is that so?" Will tried to look stern as he started popping the buttons on Alex's shirt.

"Yep," Alex confirmed, "I'm gonna need lots and lots of convincing."

"You know," Will finished with Alex's shirt and pulled it open, dragging his hands over his chest. "Everyone's going to believe whatever I say anyway," Will unbuttoned Alex's jeans and undid his zipper.

"I guess I'm just lucky you get me so well," Alex replied confidently while placing his hands behind his head.

"Very, very lucky," Alex repeated once Will pulled off his pants and got on his knees.

* * *

The next morning when Will woke up to the sound of his alarm clock beeping obnoxiously he heard the familiar crinkling noise. With a small frown Will looked at the new drawing Ari had managed to give them that morning.

It was a relatively simple drawing of Will and Alex with Ari in the middle of them holding their little stick figure hands. Across the top, with a few missing sounds and backwards letters, Ari had written, "THANK YOU".

* * *

Author's note:

Will and Alex have both said before in this story that they weren't interested in marriage. Just because Ari was encouraging them I couldn't see them changing their , I feel like this is a nice compromise. It's generally the same idea but without the pressure.

Let me know what you thought.

Thanks for reading!

As always thank you to iluvh0rs3s for being mine as well as Will and Alex's life support!


	14. Chapter 14

Will smiled as he stood up from the lawn chair and waved Alex over to their spot in the park.

Spotting Will, Alex headed over and sat in the free seat next to him.

"What'd I miss?" Alex demanded as he immediately saw Johnny running out onto the field.

"He's doing really well," Will answered as he took the warm cup of coffee Alex passed him.

Alex, handing over some hot chocolates to Ari, Allie and Sydney before giving another coffee to Sami, commented, "Has he gotten much playing time?"

"Not really," Will admitted. Leaning over so none of the girls could hear Will said, "Mom and I keep hoping something will happen to that Angel kid and he'll get to play more."

"Fuck that kid," Alex decided before taking a sip of his own coffee. "Johnny is definitely better than that fucker."

Stifling a laugh when the mom beside them glared, Will patted Alex's arm, "That's what I'm saying."

"Did you get her signed up?" Will asked.

"I told you I would. I can be responsible when I feel like it," Alex informed Will. "Two days a week of art lessons starting next week."

"Thank you," Will kissed Alex on the cheek, causing another glare from the same woman, "I hope she likes it."

"Seeing as how she does nothing but drive us crazy with collages and pictures," Alex reminded Will, "Yeah, I'd say she'll enjoy it."

As Johnny ran past everyone stood up and cheered. Will was pretty sure it embarrassed the kid but quite frankly none of them were going to stop.

"That's my brother, woo," Will half yelled, half laughed loudly.

Alex put two fingers in his mouth and whistled as loud as he could.

Once Johnny was back on the sidelines Sami made all the girls scoot down a seat so she could be next to Will and Alex.

"OK," Sami pushed her hair out of her face, "Have you decided on a venue yet? Because I was doing some research and the Hyatt in Newport Beach is so nice."

"Mom," Will tossed his head back in annoyance, "Cool it on the reception crap."

"I can't," Sami was practically vibrating in her seat. "You haven't even picked a date or a guest list or anything."

"Don't invite anyone," Alex said in a dull voice, "And make sure there's lots of booze and I'll be happy."

"Be serious," Sami reached over Will to smack Alex in the arm. "You need to figure these kinds of things out."

"How is it you're more annoying this time around?" Will asked his mother sardonically.

Sami narrowed her eyes, "Do you know how easy it would be to slip and let everyone in our family know about this? One little message on the holiday cards I'm sending out and your peace and quiet is over."

'_Huh,'_ Will thought before turning to look at Alex.

"Sounds good to me," Will told him.

"OK, sure," Alex shrugged.

"What sounds good to you?" Sami demanded as she looked between the two of them suspiciously.

"When you send out those holiday cards you had done up," Alex started explaining, recalling the sample Sami had given him for his birthday, "In some of them you can include our thing."

"Really?" Sami frowned. "That's not very fancy."

"Actually, Mom," Will said, "We've kind of thought things over a bit."

"And?" Sami pulled out her phone to make some notes. She had made herself their self-appointed wedding planner.

'_Can I still call myself that if it's not really a wedding?'_ Sami mused before paying attention again.

"Well," Will put his coffee between his knees and grabbed Alex's hand, "For starters we know who we want to invite."

"Tell me," Sami ordered as her fingers typed quickly on her IPhone.

"My dad," Alex started to list, "Kate. Joey and Vic obviously. Joey would throw a fit if he thought someone was spending time with Ari without him."

"Chad," Will added. Ever since their trip to Salem Chad had regularly called, texted and emailed.

"The kids will like that," Sami declared as she made a note. "Anyone else?"

Will rattled off a list of his friends in California while Alex did the same.

"OK," Sami nodded. Giving them both a pained glance, Sami asked, "What about your father? And Adrienne"

"I don't know," Will admitted. "He didn't exactly invite us to their wedding."

"Then we kind of put a damper on things when Sonny and I got into it," Alex added while making an exaggerated frown.

"What about Sonny?" Sami questioned. "Are you going to invite the twins and not him?"

"I don't know, woman," Alex complained. "Just let us think about it."

"Fine," Sami locked her phone, "We can talk about it later. But actually think about it. This whole thing is about the two of you promising yourselves and Ari that you are in this for real. You should be surrounded by the people that support and love you. If you don't think Lucas, Adrienne and Sonny can do that don't invite them."

"Yeah," Will responded feeling Alex squeezing his hand. "We'll think about it."

* * *

A few hours later, Will, Alex and Sami were sitting at a table by themselves inside of Chuck-e-Cheese celebrating Johnny's team winning. The girls were running around the place with the rest of Johnny's team.

"Alex," Ari whined as she wiggled around and stuck out her lower lip, "Please?"

"I just gave you money," Alex grumbled as he pulled out some more bills and handed them over. Before Ari could snatch it out of his hand he said, "Make sure Allie takes it to the machine and not you."

"Yay," Ari cheered before kissing Alex on the cheek and taking off. There was a shiny crown in the prize case with her name on it.

"You are such a softie," Sami commented with a shake of her head.

"I am no such thing," Alex replied completed affronted.

Will laughed loudly, "You're worse than me. No, no, you're worse than Joey."

Alex's mouth dropped open, "You take that back."

"Nope," Will smiled widely as he scooted closer to Alex and wrapped his arms around his neck. "Your my little softie and I wuv you."

"Oh dear god," Alex stated side-eyeing Will dangerously.

Sami, smiling at Will and Alex, finished off a slice of pizza and sat up in her seat when another pitcher of beer was brought to their table.

The waiter's eyes lingered over Sami a bit too long before leaving.

Will and Alex turned to look at each other before looking at Sami.

"What?" Sami wondered when she saw them staring at her.

"Oh nothing," Will replied as he watched her pouring him a drink.

"Nothing except that dude trying to eye-fuck you," Alex remarked not entirely sure how to feel about that.

On one hand Alex knew it would be good for Sami to actually go on dates but another part of him wanted to smack that idiots eyeballs right out of his head. Feeling disturbingly protective Alex chugged some of his beer.

"Excuse me?" Sami looked at the two of them like they were crazy. "Who was doing what now?"

"The waiter," Will shook his head at his mom. "Come on there is no way you didn't notice that."

Sami honestly had no idea.

"Well good," Alex informed her, "He was not hot enough for you."

"True," Will agreed. "If my mama's dating anybody he better look like a model."

"I've seen pictures of all the men you've been with," Alex nodded his head seriously.

"EJ was really hot," Will said easily, "Rafe too."

Alex agreed, "Oh yeah. That Brandon guy," Alex wolf whistled.

"So you see mom," Will looked back over at her, "You have a standard that you must live up to."

"Do I get a choice in this?" Sami asked rolling her eyes fondly at the two.

"Actually," Alex said ignoring Sami, "The waiter at lunch the other day was being a little too friendly with you too."

"No he wasn't," Sami argued. "He's never been anything but polite."

Alex gave her a pointed look, "Oh really?"

"_Should I get you two your usual?" the waiter asked while holding his pen and pad of paper._

_Every Wednesday at noon he always waited on these two. He thought the blonde was extraordinarily pretty but assumed she had to be dating the man she was with. '_Even if he is quite a bit younger than her,'_ the waiter thought. _

"_Actually," Sami smiled widely, "You should bring us some champagne." _

_Alex stared up at the ceiling feigning annoyance. _

"_Celebrating?" the waiter wondered as he briefly looked at her left hand suspiciously. _

"_Yes," Sami put her hands on the table and said excitedly, "He is finally going to marry my son." _

"_Stop saying it like that," Alex ordered. _

"_It's easier," Sami dismissed. "So, champagne?" _

"_Coming right up," the waiter gave Sami a lascivious smile before walking away with an extra pep in his step. _

"He was just being nice," Sami argued with Alex. "He was not hitting on me."

"He was," Alex confirmed.

"Well why didn't he ever do it before then?" Sami looked at Alex smugly.

"He probably thought you were a couple," Will said knowledgably.

Sami and Alex both gave him matching looks of disgust.

"That's just wrong," Alex grimaced.

"It's like someone thinking we're a couple," Sami indicated between herself and Will.

"Oh come on," Will chuckled, "It's funny."

"It is not," Alex contended. "I mean, you're good looking and all," Alex told Sami, "But that's just not right."

"Agreed," Sami said before shivering slightly.

"You two are dumb," Will declared. "Besides it's not that hard to mistake you for a couple. Mom's not that much older."

"Thank you," Sami beamed.

At the same time Alex frowned, "Fuck you."

"She was 16 when she had me," Will laughed, "You're seven years older than me. Do the math."

Alex, having never considered this before, stared at Will with his mouth open.

"Oh my god," Sami crowed in delight. "This is the best reminder ever."

"OK, OK," Will put his hand on Alex's thigh and moved it up and down soothingly. "But seriously," Will caught his mom's eye, "You should think about going out again."

"It's not like I've never been offered," Sami admitted, playing with the condensation on the beer pitcher, "I just never felt like it."

"Why not?" Will asked gently.

"Because," Sami answered softly.

"EJ wouldn't want you to be alone forever," Will explained in a light tone. "He wouldn't expect you to either."

"I know that," Sami said defensively. "I just, I haven't."

"Why not?" Alex wondered. He didn't particularly care for the vulnerable expression on Sami's face.

Alex never really took the time to think about it but Sami was as close to a real mother as he's ever had. _'And she deserves to be with someone that loves and accepts her the way Will and I do.'_

"I don't know," Sami didn't want to answer. Looking up and seeing two intense pairs of blue eyes staring at her Sami sighed, "Practically my entire life I've gone from guy to guy to guy and from one disaster after another."

"This is the longest in so long I've gone without anything bad happening," Sami confessed. "Your life was a mess," Sami told Will, "But I was so happy when you and Ari moved in with me. We're closer now than we've ever been. And you," Sami waved her hand at Alex, "You're exactly what my son and granddaughter needed."

"My life right now," Sami explained, "Is as close to perfect as it's ever been. I don't want to ruin that."

"I get that," Will extended his hand across the table and took his mom's, "But you're also the one that wouldn't let me sit at home alone and mope when I moved here. You forced me to go out one night and I'm glad I did."

"Yeah," Alex put his arm around Will's shoulders, "Without your nagging I wouldn't be in the picture and then where would you be?"

"We'd probably all be miserable," Sami gave a small smile. "Is this where you two start nagging me about going out?"

"Of course," Alex said, "You made Will go out and get laid. Now we're making you."

"But without the getting laid part," Alex added now that he was thinking it over, "We might have to kill whoever it is if they touch you."

Sami rolled her eyes, "Uh huh, sure."

"If you ever get serious about someone they'd have to get past the Johnny test though," Will grinned widely at Alex.

"That shit's no joke," Alex insisted. "I barely passed and he actually likes me."

"But," Alex conceded, "At least we can go through with our commitment ceremony without having to worry about him ruining it."

"I did hear him practice a speech about putting an end to your wedding once," Sami pointed out. "It was pretty funny."

"I'm just glad that nightmare's over," Alex shook his head. "Talk about awful."

"What did you even do?" Will wondered. "You still won't tell us."

"Nope, I have to take it to the grave," Alex insisted. "Or else he'll take back his approval."

"Not even a hint?" Sami pressed.

"My lips are forever sealed," Alex maintained.

"_Alright, kid," Alex clapped his hands together as he walked out the door with Johnny, "Let's do this." _

_Johnny followed towards Alex's car silently._

"_So exactly what am I going to have to do to prove that I'm good enough for your brother?" Alex wondered as he started the car. "Because I'm thinking I've got some good karma coming my way." _

_Johnny pulled out a water gun he painted black and pressed it against Alex's ribs, "Just drive." _

"_Uh," Alex looked down at the obvious toy gun, "OK." _

'Might as well play along,'_ Alex thought to himself. _

"_This gun is filled with ketchup," Johnny proclaimed, "And I'm not afraid to use it." _

"_Right," Alex nodded trying not to laugh. _

'Take it seriously,'_ Alex reminded himself. _

"_Where am I driving?" Alex asked. _

"_Get on the freeway and drive," Johnny declared. _

_Alex backed out of the driveway and tried not to fidget. _

"_Do you love my brother?" Johnny demanded digging the gun into Alex. _

_Wincing at the surprisingly sharp toy, Alex replied, "Yes, of course I do."_

"_Do you love my niece?" Johnny asked pressing the toy even harder. _

"_Yes," Alex nodded. _

"_Good," Johnny pulled back slightly. _

"_Are you going to go through with this ceremony only to treat him like crap, not support him and abandon him for the first baseball player that comes your way?" Johnny asked lifting his eyebrows in the air. _

"_I'm not my brother," Alex argued. "I'm not going to do anything to hurt Will and I'm not leaving him for anyone else." _

"_I'm not stupid," Alex added, "I know he's better than I deserve."_

"_That's right," Johnny agreed. "My brother deserves the best and that's going to be what you give him." _

_Alex nodded starting to get a tiny bit nervous. _

_The two sat in silence for a few minutes before Johnny ordered, "Get off on this exit." _

_Alex followed the direction and the only noise in the car was when Johnny would give Alex further instructions. _

_Finally pulling into the parking lot of a large hiking trail, Johnny demanded, "Get out." _

_The two walked for several minutes in complete silence. _

"_Stop," Johnny said when they were halfway through the trail, completely alone. _

"_Let's get to the point," Johnny began, "If you ever hurt my brother I will shove you over the edge of that cliff and not even care." _

_Looking over the side of the cliff, noting the steep drop, Alex took a step back, "I see." _

"_My mom and Will might think I have no idea what my father was really like but that isn't true," Johnny tossed his toy gun from hand to hand. "I know exactly what he was like. And whenever they say I remind them of him you and I are going to remember this moment. Got it?" _

"_Got it," Alex repeated. _

"_Now," Johnny indicated with his head, "Keep walking." _

'What in god's name is happening here?'_ Alex wondered. _

"_Will and I have always been close," Johnny started talking as they walked. "He and Gabi were the ones who noticed there was something wrong with my eye," Johnny said, "He was there for me." _

"_Yeah," Alex wasn't sure if he was allowed to talk or not. "Will told me. He tells me everything." _

"_Will is important to me," Johnny continued, "And Ari. I was miserable when they went back to Salem and when they came back they were miserable." _

"_The very first time," Johnny explained, "I saw Will really, really happy was after he started seeing you." _

"_So I've been told," Alex replied. _

"_I know that you make them happy," Johnny sighed. "And even my sisters and my mom too." Ruefully rolling his eyes, Johnny added, "Even me too. But I thought Sonny was a nice guy and look how that changed." _

"_I'm not my brother," Alex responded. "I don't know what's going to happen in the future but I can tell you what I want to happen." _

"_What do you want to happen?" Johnny asked sounding much less tough than he had a few minutes before. _

"_I want to prove to Ari that I'm serious about her and Will," Alex started saying. "I want Will to write a book. I want Ari to grow up and be happy. I want Gabi to get out of jail. I want your mom to be happy. I want you and your sisters to skip the whole curse of having a kid too young." _

"_What about you?" Johnny wondered. "You didn't say what you want for you." _

_Alex shrugged, "If I'm with Will and the kid and I can take a few pictures I'll be fine. Just as long as they're happy." _

"_Good," Johnny finally nodded. "Now ask me the question again." _

"_Uh," Alex had to wrack his brain for what question he was supposed to be asking. _'Oh, right,'_ he recalled when Johnny was offended about not being asked permission. _

"_Johnny, can I please have your permission to commit myself to Will?" Alex repeated exactly the same way he did the other week. _

"_I've thought long and hard about it," Johnny said dramatically before saying, "But my answer is yes." _

"_Good," Alex nodded. "I was a little worried there." _

"_Now there's just one more thing," Johnny said brandishing his toy gun again. _

"_Which would be what?" Alex asked as he realized they were finally off the trail and near the parking lot. _

"_One last test," Johnny teased as he started squirting the ketchup at Alex. _

"_Hey," Alex backed away. "You get that thing away from me." _

"_Nope," Johnny teased as he started getting closer and closer. _

"_You little shit," Alex complained as he started running away. _

"_Aw," Johnny laughed, surprisingly able to keep up, "But I thought you loved me?" _

"_I take it back," Alex grunted as he tried to steer clear of the ketchup spray, "I hope you have twins from two different daddies too." _

"You're really never going to tell me?" Will pouted as he cuddled up next to Alex. "Did he defend my honor?"

"I was good and properly challenged," Alex revealed. "But that is all you get to be privy to."

"Privy," Sami repeated. "I do love how you can call someone a motherfucker one second and then use a word like that."

"It's part of my charm," Alex smiled before taking a sip of his beer.

* * *

Later that night after Ari was fast asleep in her bed, Will and Alex sat down on their couch ready to make some decisions about the guest list on their reception.

"What do you think?" Will asked as he pushed his feet under Alex's thigh.

Alex, playing with the bottom hem of Will's pants, replied, "I really don't know."

Will bit his lip before saying, "It's our day and I don't want anyone there that doesn't understand us."

"Me too," Alex thought everything over before sighing dramatically, "But I think you would probably regret it if your dad wasn't there." Making an unhappy face Alex added, "And probably me with Adrienne and Sonny."

"I don't want them at the actual ceremony though," Will explained. "I don't know if I want anyone else there but us."

"How about the three of us and your mom and siblings do the ceremony by ourselves and then everyone else can do the celebrating?" Alex suggested. "We just tell them to come a few hours later. I just want everyone who supported us in the beginning there."

"I like that," Will smiled. He honestly loved how Alex felt about Will's family, their family now.

"But," Will thought it over, "Your dad and brothers might be pretty pissed."

"That's their problem," Alex shrugged. "It's what we want. Hell, if it was up to me we wouldn't even tell them why they were coming."

Will quirked one eyebrow, "Huh."

"What?" Alex looked over at Will's face. "What's with that look?"

Will pulled his legs out from under Alex and moved onto his knees, "What if we didn't tell them? What if we just invite them for a party or something? When they get here we can see if they figure out what we did."

"That's kind of evil," Alex nodded approvingly.

"I know," Will grinned. "That's why we should do it."

"In that case," Alex pulled Will against his chest, "When exactly should we do this? And where?"

"Hmm," Will hummed as he saw Alex's workbag on the other side of the couch. Reaching over Alex for it, Will pulled out Alex's work planner to look at dates.

"I don't know," Will thumbed through the pages trying to see a weekend Alex was free.

Will had taken Alex's advice and quit his job at the newspaper. He still did his online contribution to The Advocate and a few freelance articles now and again. But for the most part Will had started writing what he wanted. It was freeing in a way he hadn't experienced with his writing in a long time.

Alex, looking over his schedule with Will, said, "I don't really want to wait forever to do this."

"Me either," Will agreed. "Now that we decided I want it to be as soon as possible."

"Plus, if I have to deal with the girls for much longer someone is going to die," Alex threatened.

"So," Will turned the pages back, "Maybe we should pick a date and stick with it."

"Fine with me," Alex pointed to a spot on the calendar. "Here we go. And there's plenty of time for us to go on a honeymoon or trip or whatever the fuck we call it afterwards."

"I'm pretty sure everyone has the day after Thanksgiving off anyway," Will nodded. "It still gives us a few weeks to plan everything out."

"Is that going to be weird for you?" Alex wanted to double check. "The last time you did something like this it was all put together real quick, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Will answered, "But it's different this time around."

Alex gave Will a doubtful look.

"I'm not going to lie and say I didn't want to get married," Will said honestly, "But my reasons behind this ceremony are different than they were before. What I feel for you is different as well. I can tell you with one hundred percent honesty that in no way am I comparing this to what happened with me and Sonny."

"It's OK if you do," Alex shrugged. He didn't particularly enjoy being reminded of that but he knew it was an important part of Will's past. "I know it happened and it's not going away. But you're with me now."

"Yes, I am," Will smiled taking Alex's hand. "And soon enough the two of us are going to declare that in front of Ari."

"Yeah, yeah," Alex smiled slightly. "I'm not wearing a tux though. That isn't happening."

"You could wear whatever you want," Will laughed. "As long as you don't stand me up."

"I'd get pushed off a cliff if that happened," Alex mumbled before saying loudly, "Like I'd do that to you. I want this just as much as you do."

Will kissed Alex sweetly on the lips.

"So," Alex said after a few comfortable moments of silence, "Think we really should include some kind of party invitation in with those holiday cards?"

"Yes, I do," Will giggled. "If someone doesn't show up it will be their own fault they missed out."

"Now," Will said, "We have a date and we have a guest list. I guess it's finally time to figure everything else out."

"We should hold a competition with all our girls for whose idea we use," Alex jokingly suggested.

"Oh god," Will laughed, "It would be like the hunger games with all of them going at it."

"Still might be fun," Alex decided. "I think Ari would win in the end though."

Will agreed while he found a pen in Alex's workbag and made a big heart in Alex's planner over the day after Thanksgiving.

* * *

"Daddy, Alex," Ari said seriously. "I think this meeting is crap."

"Ari," Will frowned, "What have I told you about talking like that?"

"To only do it when you're not around?" Ari tried before seeing her father's face harden. "OK, sorry. I'll try better."

"But still," Ari whined. "Why do you have to listen to their ideas? It's my party!"

"Excuse you?" Alex gave her a look.

Ari, who had been slowly trying to work on her attitude, sighed dramatically, "Please can it be my party?"

"We'll take your ideas into consideration," Will informed her. "But we're listening to Sydney and Allie too. Plus grandma has a lot of ideas too. They've been helping you this whole time. It's only fair to listen to all of your ideas."

Ari gave Will a look clearly indicating that she didn't care.

"Deal with it, kid," Alex patted her on the back. "You can't always get your way."

'_We'll see about that,'_ Ari pouted as they opened the door to grandma's house.

As soon as they were inside Ari shouted, "Allie, Sydney, come here. There's something we need to talk about."

Smiling innocently Ari lured the girls upstairs into her old bedroom and closed the door.

"Alright," Ari leaned against the closed door. "Daddy and Alex are going to let us all tell them what we want for their ceremony."

"Awesome," Sydney cheered.

"This is great, Ari," Allie smiled widely. "All of our ideas are finally going to be put to good use."

"About that," Ari batted her lashes, "I think it would be best if we tell each other our ideas and decide which ones we like better before we tell them."

"Sure," Allie shrugged.

"Excellent," Ari said as she walked over to her bed and pulled out a binder full of her wedding ideas.

"I'll go first," Ari decided looking determinedly at her aunts.

* * *

"Of all the dates to pick it had to be on my favorite shopping day," Sami complained as she poured herself a glass of wine. "You're lucky I love you both."

"You can just buy it all online anyway," Will said.

"It's not the same," Sami argued sadly. "It's the one day of the year where it's socially acceptable for me to rip things out of people's hands and publically berate them."

Alex stared at Sami admiringly, "This is why I like you."

"Anyway," Will chuckled, "We still aren't sure about a venue yet."

"Stay right here," Sami urged as she got up out of her chair at the kitchen table. "I've got loads of ideas."

A few minutes later, Sami, Ari, Allie and Sydney all came into the kitchen. Ari was holding a large Hello Kitty binder in her arms stuffed full.

"Oh goodie," Alex mockingly cheered, "Everyone has an opinion."

"Zip it," Allie said as she sat down at her spot at the table. "We all have great ideas."

"But," Ari cleared her throat and tossed her hair over her shoulder, "Mine are the best."

"Uh huh, sure," Sami rolled her eyes. "Alright, ladies, they need help picking a location for everything."

"OK," Sydney said as she looked at Ari out of the corner of her eye.

Ari, tossing her giant binder on the table, pulled out several pictures while Sami started talking.

"I told you I liked the Regency at Newport," Sami explained as she pulled up a few pictures on her phone.

Will and Alex looked at the pictures showing a surprisingly nice outdoor set up.

"Looks really big," Alex commented. "We only have around twenty people coming."

"They can do smaller," Sami informed them as she took her phone back and gave another option. "I also thought of the Heritage Square Museum."

Will, intrigued by the idea, nodded. "Maybe."

"Or," Sami practically beamed, "We could splurge and have it at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu."

Alex looked over the pictures. He could see how esthetically appealing it was but he wasn't quite sure it was him or Will.

"It's really nice, Mom," Will told her, "But I don't think so."

"Why don't we save it for the next time you get married?" Alex suggested.

"Oh, shut up," Sami ordered_. 'Don't mind if I do.'_

"Ahem," Ari cleared her throat as she had all of her papers in order.

"Allie, Sydney and I have been working on this project very hard," Ari explained as she stood up and began pacing with her hands behind her back.

"We know you have," Will smiled at all three girls.

"Our first option for you is this," Ari gestured with her hand while Allie handed over the first paper.

"The beach," Allie excitedly told them.

Will, Alex and Sami all looked at the brightly painted portrait Ari had drawn. In between two large sandcastles Alex and Will stood holding hands while Ari was seen wearing the biggest, fluffiest dress anyone had ever seen.

"It's not just any beach," Ari explained. "It's the one we stayed at when we went on our trip to Lego Land!"

Will nodded remembering the time his mom rented a beach house near San Diego for a weekend. They all had a great time and the beach was private.

'_But,'_ Will thought looking over at Alex, _'It's not really us.'_

"This is really good," Alex told Ari admiring her painting. He was definitely glad they signed her up for private art lessons now.

"What other options do you have?" Sami asked feeling highly impressed even though she was around for most of Ari's artwork.

"We all like this one," Sydney said trying not to beam as she presented another painting.

"Disneyland," all three girls said together.

"No," Will and Alex said instantly.

They enjoyed taking the girls there but there was no way in hell they were getting married there.

Ari pouted slightly but moved on.

"OK, one last idea," Ari said as she pulled out the last painting, the one that she liked the best.

She carefully placed the painting on the table and stepped back.

Everyone leaned forward and examined the picture.

Will looked over at Ari's wide, hopeful eyes and smiled gently, "You want us to get married at home?"

Ari nodded as she picked up her picture and touched it slightly. She had done her best to depict their backyard and her pool plus her favorite trees.

"You said you wanted it to be small," Ari shrugged. "And it's my favorite place in the whole world."

"It is?" Alex asked as he put his arm around her and dragged her onto his lap.

"Mmm hmm," Ari nodded as she got comfortable. "It's where we live and where I'm happiest. If you're going to say you'll be together forever then I want it to be there."

"I think that's a good idea," Will agreed readily.

"Well that's settled then," Sami said with a smile. "It sounds much more like the two of you anyway."

"Now," Sami rubbed her hands together, "We get to plan the fun stuff."

"Oh boy," Will replied.

Allie pulled open the binder and started pulling out more paintings, drawings and magazine clippings, "Don't worry. We've got plenty of ideas."

Will and Alex both looked over the size of the binder and knew they were in for a long night.

* * *

The next morning, despite the brisk air, Will found himself doing his morning yoga routine outside. Will loved how yoga both relaxed him while also firing up his muscles.

Just as he was calming down, leveling out his breathing, Will opened his eyes and looked around the backyard. He could clearly remember Ari's picture. They hadn't gotten very far on planning yesterday other than eliminating the excessively extravagant ideas the girls had.

Will and Alex wanted something nice but simple. They didn't want to have the focus on the party. They wanted the focus on their commitment to themselves and Ari. The party was for everyone else.

Will stretched his arms over his head, _'I'm just glad that everything is calming down. Ari is perfectly fine staying at Mom's last night. She's getting back to where she used to be. Everything is working out the way it should.' _

Jumping out of the shower, Will waltzed into his bedroom and laughed when he saw Alex still sleeping in bed.

Will tried to be as quiet as possible when he grabbed his clothes and started getting dressed but he managed to accidentally bump into the dresser and knock over a picture of Ari.

"Sorry," Will whispered when Alex opened his eyes and woke up.

Alex rubbed his eyes open and said, "It's a good thing you're naked or I'd be pissed."

Will dropped the clothes he was holding and crawled on the bed and into Alex's waiting arms.

Gliding his hands up and down Will's side Alex said, voice still laced with sleep, "I was thinking about something."

"What's that?" Will wondered as he relaxed.

"We need to talk to a lawyer about legal shit," Alex explained. "About financial crap and medical crap."

"You're right," Will replied. "There's a lot to do to make sure we're protected legally if we aren't married. I can call the lawyer I used when I made you Ari's guardian. He might know someone that specializes in it."

"Good," Alex snorted. "I don't want any bullshit happening at the hospital like it did when you had your surgery."

"Me either," Will agreed. "We need to look into something for Ari too. If she gets hurt while I'm not with you two I want you able to make decisions for her."

Alex gave a small smile at that.

"I don't think there's a lot you can do about that in this state," Alex revealed, "But I appreciate the thought."

"Your dad would probably be helpful," Will admitted. "But I doubt he's up to date on California law."

"Yeah, probably not," Alex shrugged. "We can just have your guy help us out."

"Well, whatever we have to do," Will kissed Alex on the cheek, "We're gonna do."

"Don't be so sappy when you're naked," Alex ordered as he rolled Will onto his back.

"My apologies," Will laughed as he pulled Alex into a kiss.

* * *

Later that night, once Ari, Allie, Sydney and Johnny were over to stay the night, back into their routine from before the accident, the girls were arguing with the guys over what to have for dinner.

"I'm sorry," Alex shook his head, "But there is no way you're winning this."

All three girls stuck out their lower lips and tried the puppy dog eyes.

"Nope," Alex covered his eyes with one hand while he grabbed Johnny's shoulder and used him as a shield to the door, "We're getting pizza and that's final."

Allie waited until Alex and Johnny left before turning to Will, "OK, now that the losers are gone let's talk about something important."

"Such as?" Will tried not to smile, "And don't call them that."

"We want to get Alex a present," Sydney explained. "To show him how much he means to us."

"Aw," Will couldn't resist saying. "That's so sweet. What did you all have in mind?"

"That's what we don't know," Allie said. "And why we're going to you."

"Well," Will sat down on the couch near them. "Do you want it to be something big or something small?"

"Something good," Ari supplied.

"We asked mom and she wasn't helpful in the slightest," Allie explained. Leaning in close to Will she added, "Mom suggested a family burial plot."

"Oh god," Will rolled his eyes. "Not that. Although in her own twisted way that's kind of sweet."

"What's a burial plot?" Ari asked.

"Never mind," Will said quickly. "Well, I can tell you one thing that Alex always wanted when he was young and he never got."

_Will linked his arm with Alex's cautiously. _

'I can't believe he actually wants to see me outside of a bed,'_ Will thought. He had been casually meeting with Alex at the same bar for a few weeks now. Not every night but some nights, after Ari went to sleep, Will would go out and have fun. _

_Tonight was the first night Alex had suggested they meet earlier. The two had met for something to eat, Alex claiming he was hungry and Will might as well tag along. Now, the two were walking around a street downtown. _

"_Oh, hey," Will paused as he saw a bookstore on the other side of the street, "Can we go in there?" _

"_Sure," Alex shrugged. _

_Oddly enough it felt kind of good to have Will holding onto his arm as they walked. Normally he didn't do well with anyone clinging onto him but with Will it was different. It didn't feel like Will was suffocating him with his touch. It felt comforting instead. _

"_Why are we going in here?" Alex questioned as they walked into the store. _

"_My sister," Will explained, revealing a tiny bit of his personal life for the first time. "Her birthday is in a few days. I wanna find something for her." _

_As they wandered into the children's section, Alex was a bit surprised Will had a sibling that young. _

_Will smiled when he saw Alex's bewilderment, "My mom had me when she was really young. When I was in high school she started over again." _

"_She had another kid?" Alex wondered as Will started looking through some titles. _

"_Actually she had three, a set of twins, a boy and a girl, and then another girl," Will explained. "One with my dad and two with her husband before he died."_

"_Huh," Alex nodded, "Sounds dramatic." _

"_You have no idea," Will laughed. _

"_I really don't," Alex said. "Why don't you tell me?"_

"_The twins have two different dads," Will told Alex before bursting into laughter seeing his face._

"_That's not true," Alex insisted. _

"_Oh but it is," Will insisted before pulling out his phone and searching for a picture of Johnny and Allie. "See?" _

_Alex looked over the boy and the girl. _'Cute,' _he thought before handing the phone back to Will. _

"_It's still weird as fuck," Alex argued. _

"_Trust me," Will smiled, "I know." _

_Going back to looking through some books Will stated, "I'm looking for my youngest sister though. I want to give her something she'll read over and over. Maybe something that has longer stories, classics." _

_Reluctantly Alex broke away from Will to search for a book. Coming back with what he wanted Alex handed it over to Will. _

"The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh_?" Will asked looking at Alex curiously. _

"_I grew up with my dad and my step-mom," Alex said not entirely sure why he was being so forthcoming. "But for the first two years or so I lived with my mom. I had a stuffed Pooh Bear and she'd read this to me every night. That's all I remember about her really." _

_Will took the book from Alex and looked it over. "Did you have your own copy after that?" Will wondered. _

"_No," Alex shook his head. "I asked a few times but never got it. Same with the bear." _

"_Well," Will handed the book back to Alex and took his arm again, "I guess Sydney isn't going to have that problem."_

When Alex and Johnny came back with a few boxes of pizza the girls all knew exactly what gift they were getting Alex to show him how much they cared.

* * *

"Hey," Johnny said as he followed Alex into the car to get the pizza, "Who are you going to get to take pictures at the party, reception thing?"

"Hmm," Alex frowned, "I guess we haven't thought about it."

"Well, it won't be you," Johnny pointed out.

"Wedding photos aren't exactly my forte anyway," Alex joked.

"Do you have any friends that would do it?" Johnny wondered.

"Hmm," Alex thought it over. "I know some that would do it but I'm not sure if I'd want them there or would trust them to do it."

"You gonna pick a stranger?" Johnny doubt Alex would do that.

"No thanks," Alex said. "Maybe I'll teach you and let you do it."

"Really?" Johnny wasn't sure if he was excited or terrified. "What if they suck?"

"Then I'll blame you forever and let your mom punish you," Alex shrugged.

"That's just cruel and unusual," Johnny complained.

"Deal with it, bud," Alex said as he pulled into the parking lot of the pizza place. "Although how exactly do you know what kind of photos I take?"

"Uh," Johnny unbuckled quickly and opened the door, "Eavesdropping."

"Sure you little perv," Alex teased. "If you asked I would just give you a CD with some of the photos on them."

Johnny, cheeks blazing, mumbled, "Just the girls please."

"Your wish is my command," Alex put his arm over Johnny's shoulder and laughed.

* * *

Sunday, at their usual family dinner at Sami's house, Sami asked, "Have you thought about what we should eat at the reception?"

"Something easy, I guess," Will shrugged.

"You're so helpful," Sami complained. "OK, how about the type of vibe you want? You want it to be casual, right?"

"I'm thinking maybe like a classy house party or something," Alex decided. "Nothing too formal."

"Right," Will nodded, "I want everyone to feel welcomed I guess."

"OK," Sami nodded. "So maybe a lot of finger foods and we can find somewhere to order a big spread."

"Maybe barbeque or something?" Will suggested. "That's easy enough."

"That little place down the street from Ari's school does catering," Alex recalled. "It was pretty good when we tried it out."

Sami made a note in her phone to make a call.

"Now," Sami questioned, "Booze?"

"Yes," Alex said enthusiastically.

Sami looked at Will expectantly.

"Yeah," Will chuckled. "Maybe we could get a few different types of beer and some wine."

"Good," Sami nodded. "I'll look into finding a way to display it so it's not so tacky."

"Mom," Will told her honestly, "I'm really glad you're helping us."

"I'm just glad you're willing to let me help," Sami smiled sincerely. "And, um, I was actually thinking about something."

"That's dangerous," Alex quipped.

Ignoring him, Sami said, "We all know I've planned several weddings. The marriage part never really works out but I do think I have a knack for the planning part."

"You do," Will confirmed.

"I was a little inspired by you suddenly deciding to go after your own dream with your writing," Sami acknowledged. "So," Sami smiled a bit shyly, "I'm thinking of actually opening up my own wedding planning business."

"That's great," Will praised. "That is one-hundred percent what you should do."

"Exactly," Alex nodded. "You'd be pretty good at it too."

"I know I would," Sami replied. "But I was hoping you'd maybe let me claim this one as my first."

Ari, wandering into the kitchen to get a drink, put her hands on her hips, "Excuse you? I do believe I'm the one planning this wedding."

Sami gave Alex and Will a wide-eyed look, "With my consulting partner, of course."

"Alright, kid," Alex waved her over, "Wanna talk with us about the invitations?"

* * *

"Thanks for meeting with us," Will said to the lawyer he and Alex were meeting with.

"It's no problem," the woman replied as she sat down across from Will and Alex in the Starbucks they were meeting in.

"So," the woman said, pulling out her laptop to make notes, "You're looking to get some protection for living together."

"Yep," Alex answered. "What do you suggest?"

"Well," the woman listed everything off, "We need to get you set up for Power of Attorney for healthcare. A domestic partnership agreement to cover your basis. We need to put together a will. Probably Power of Attorney for financial arrangements."

"What exactly is all of that?" Will wondered curiously. He wanted to make sure he knew what they were getting into.

"The Power of Attorney for healthcare means you'll be able to make medical decisions for your partner," the woman explained. "The domestic partnership agreement is basically just a contract that says how you'll handle property, assets, what you'll do if the relationship ends. It's actually pretty important to protect both of you just in case."

"The will," the woman continued, "Is important because a lot of times inheritance laws penalize unmarried couples. So, unless you want the other to inherit nothing if something should happen you really need to get it all figured out."

"Lastly," the lawyer informed them, "The Power of Attorney for financial management lets your partner handle your finances and property if you aren't able to for some reason."

"Right," Alex said once she was done. "OK, let's do that then."

"What about anything for guardianship?" Will asked before they started anything.

"Well," the lawyer asked, "Do you have a custody agreement with the other parent?"

"It's complicated," Will told the lawyer. "I have full custody now since her mother is in jail."

The lawyer, not reacting at all, said, "I'm sorry but stepparents have no legal rights to their kids unless they adopt them."

"There's nothing?" Will demanded. "Not even something basic in case of an emergency."

"Some states can have some rights given to stepparents through Power of Attorney for specific instances and for a limited amount of time," she said sympathetically. "But that's the best you can get. And it's not even a guarantee that the state will recognize it."

"OK, I want to try that," Will told her.

Alex, flattered but not exactly as gung-ho as Will, said, "It's OK."

"I don't want anything to happen and you not able to make any decisions," Will informed him.

"You do know," the lawyer pointed out, "It would just be easier for the both of you to get married, right?"

Will and Alex both looked at her curiously.

"I'm just saying," she told them, "Minus the guardianship issue all your other problems would be solved."

"If we got married it wouldn't be for the right reasons," Alex said, "It would just be to get away from this," Alex gestured with his hand towards her.

"Plenty of people have gotten married for far worse reasons," she said. "Should we get started?"

* * *

"What?" Alex greeted into the phone on the way to meet everyone at a store downtown.

"You're having a party?" Justin asked dubiously.

"What?" Alex smirked, "You don't trust me to have a good time?"

"I'm just saying it's highly suspicious that you'd be throwing one," Justin replied.

"Technically," Alex informed his father, "It was Ari's idea."

"That I believe," Justin nodded. "But you going along with it? Not so much."

"Hey," Alex laughed openly, "Maybe I just want to spend time with my family, all of my family."

"Now I know you're lying," Justin stated.

"I spend time with my family every week," Alex insisted. "Just not you."

"Ouch," Justin said.

"Are you coming or what?" Alex demanded.

"Oh, we'll all be there," Justin informed him. "As far as I know."

"Really?" Alex mused.

"Of course," Justin answered. "Kate talked to Lucas and he and Adrienne are planning on going. Vic and Joey would never let the other see Ari without them."

"Sonny?" Alex wondered.

"We talked about it," Justin revealed. "But I think he's coming." Waiting a beat Justin said, "With Paul."

"Whatever," Alex decided.

"Hey," Justin remembered something, "Speaking of Paul," Justin tried not to laugh, "We're looking for a new photographer for our latest ad campa-"

"No," Alex practically shouted.

"What?" Justin finally started laughing, "Don't want to take pictures of Paul? He's usually shirtless. That's right up your alley."

"I can't think of anything I'd like to do less," Alex guaranteed.

"Well," Justin continued chortling, "Will slept with him and Sonny slept with him maybe-"

"I'm hanging up now," Alex said before pushing the end button, his father's laughter still ringing in his ear.

Alex stepped into the dress shop and immediately frowned in distaste.

"Can I help you?" an attractive female brunette asked Alex as soon as she spotted him.

Hearing several familiar, demanding tones, Alex shook his head, "Nope."

"Is that your future bride?" the woman asked in a flirtatious tone.

"No," Alex replied unable to shake the woman off his tail.

"I'm his future mother-in-law," Sami growled at the woman threateningly, "And he's marrying my son, so beat it."

Alex didn't even bother trying to hide his laughter.

"Will's in a dressing room with Ari," Sami explained. "She went a little crazy picking out dresses."

"How are the other girls going?" Alex questioned knowing Sydney and Allie weren't as obsessed.

"Good," Sami nodded. "Ari is all about the white and fluffy. The other girls are just picking normal dresses, thank god."

Will stuck his head out of the dressing room. His face lit up when he saw Alex, "Mom, switch me spots."

"What's up?" Alex wondered as Will came over and kissed him.

"She found one she wants," Will explained, "But she doesn't want you or me to see."

"I'm pretty sure you saw it," Alex pointed out,

"No," Will smiled, "She kicked me out as soon as I zipped it up."

"Guess we're going to have to wait a few more days for that," Alex slipped his hand into Will's back pocket.

"We've got just about everything figured out," Will said. "Except for one pretty important thing," Will put one hand on Alex's chest and wiggled his fingers.

"Well," Alex took Will's hand in his, "I'd say that we probably know a few someone's with some strong opinions about that."

"Just as long as we don't end up with ring pops," Will joked.

* * *

Later that night Will, Alex and Ari were all sitting on the couch looking over Ari's Hello Kitty binder again. As suspected she had a lot of ideas on rings.

"This one is pretty," Ari told them as she showed them a magazine clipping.

"Yes," Will agreed, "But let's remember these are for me and Alex not you."

"Fine," Ari sighed before tossing the picture to the floor. Grabbing another one Ari said, "These are the ugly boy rings."

"Why did you pick these ones?" Alex looked over a few she had picked out.

"These ones are the least ugly," Ari admitted. "Oh," she found another picture, "Allie explained this one to me."

"It has an explanation?" Will asked.

"Yeah," Ari nodded enthusiastically. "It's got a story. The leafy, vine-y things stand for something."

"You don't remember?" Alex smiled lightly, "Does it have a name?"

Will took the picture out of Ari's hands and looked closer. "It says Flores ring," Will told Alex.

Alex typed it into his phone and found an explanation, "It says a favorite in Celtic jewelry is the Flores ring. It contains a single vine representing one love, one life path and one shared destiny."

"See," Ari hopped up and down excitedly in her spot between them on the couch, "I like this one."

"It is pretty nice," Will agreed.

"Unique," Alex commented.

"So," Ari beamed, "That means you're gonna pick it, right?"

"I don't know," Alex said, "What if we don't want a ring at all?"

"You do," Ari informed them, "Because I said so. And," Ari pulled out a few more pictures from her binder, "If you wanted to get your favorite person in the entire world one of these," Ari smiled innocently, "She wouldn't complain."

"Go take a shower," Will ordered around a laugh.

"Just think about how I'll look extra beautiful," Ari giggled as she ran up the stairs.

"Damn it," Alex said as soon as she was out of sight, "We're gonna end up buying one of these, aren't we?"

"Oh yeah," Will nodded, "Now we just have to decide which one."

"By the way," Will told Alex, "Mom scheduled the cleaners to get started tomorrow."

"Why exactly do we need everything cleaned?" Alex wondered as he looked the pictures over.

"So it looks nice," Will rolled his eyes, "She also has them scheduled to come in after we leave."

"Good, the less I have to do the better," Alex said.

"And you still aren't telling me where we're going?" Will double checked.

"Nope," Alex gave Will a lewd smirk, "Just pack you and some sun screen."

* * *

**Thanksgiving**

"I've got everything covered for tomorrow," Sami told Will as he helped her wash the dishes after their large meal.

"I knew you would," Will told his mom as he handed her another plate. "You've been fantastic this whole time. Don't be mad," Will gave her a sad smile, "But I'm kind of shocked. You haven't done one selfish thing the whole time."

Sami bumped Will with her hip, "You're lucky you're kind of getting married tomorrow or I would smack you so hard."

"You haven't done that to me in a while either," Will teased.

"Yes, well," Sami tossed her hair over her shoulder, "You haven't done anything bad either."

"I guess we're both evolving," Will smiled. "But seriously, thank you."

"Of course," Sami told him. "Are you nervous?"

"No," Will shook his head. "Not at all. Is that weird?"

Sami pulled her hands out of the water, dried them off and put her hands on Will's shoulders, "I think that means you're doing the right thing."

"Can you finish these up?" Sami asked after Will gave her a hug.

"Sure," Will smiled.

Sami, grabbing two beers out of the fridge, headed over to the front room.

"Alex," Sami called, "Get your ass in here!"

* * *

"So," Alex sat next to Allie and Sydney on the couch. "I'm giving Johnny a camera so he can take pictures tomorrow. Will and I thought of something we need the two of you to do for us."

"What do you need us to do?" Allie questioned.

"Think you can memorize this by tomorrow?" Alex wondered as he handed each of them a sheet of paper with some phrases on it.

"Yes," Sydney excitedly guaranteed.

When Sami started screeching for him Alex told the girls, "That's what I thought you'd say."

Sami and Alex sat outside on the patio.

"Did you know," Sami started explaining to him after a few minutes of useless chitchat, "That every time I've gotten married I've always been just a little nervous."

"No," Alex answered before taking a sip of his beer.

"Well, I was," Sami said, "Each time. Every time. I've always had that little thing in the back of my mind that questioned if I was making the right decision."

"Is this going somewhere?" Alex knew it was but still felt like he needed to keep up his appearances.

"Yes," Sami stated pointedly, "The point is that Will isn't nervous, not even a little bit. Are you?"

Alex shrugged, "Not really. It's not like I'm doing anything I don't want to do. It's not even like I'm going to say anything I haven't already told Will or Ari."

"Good," Sami nodded. "I think that's important. Both of you are one hundred percent certain you're doing the right thing. I happen to agree with you."

"Really?" Alex glanced at her with a slight smirk.

"Of course," Sami insisted. "I know, more than I've ever known anything that tomorrow is exactly what the two of you need."

"Did you think this was gonna happen when you met me?" Alex asked.

"God no," Sami admitted. "First time I met you? Thought you were going to run out my front door and never look back."

"For a while there," Alex confessed. "I did too."

"But you wised up," Sami smiled. "And here you are. Off to kind of marry my son."

"I guess that kind of makes me your son too," Alex said quietly not even sure if he said it out loud or not.

Sami gave Alex a sincere smile before standing up, "Come here."

Alex rolled his eyes before letting her hug him tightly.

"I think at this point you are more than kind of my son," Sami told him.

"This just going to make it official?" Alex questioned wrapping his arms around Sami.

"It was official a long time ago," Sami informed him. "Now? Now is just a bonus."

"Thanks," Alex smiled before resting his cheek on the top of Sami's head.

"I love you," Sami said decisively. "And I know you love me too so you don't have to say it back."

"Good," Alex whispered. He knew he loved Sami, felt closer to her than he had with any other maternal figure he had in his life. But he still wasn't quite stable enough to tell her yet.

"Now," Sami pulled away from the hug, "I'm taking Ari for the night so don't screw anything up before tomorrow, got it?"

"I'll do my best," Alex promised.

* * *

"Night before the big day and we spent it with my mom and some kids stuffing ourselves," Will said as he collapsed backwards on the bed.

"Sounds about right," Alex sighed as he lied down next to Will.

"Not disappointed?" Will wondered.

"Nope," Alex declared. "It's nice being around a group of people that want me around all the time."

"You love us and you know it," Will smiled as he rolled over onto his stomach.

Dragging Will against him Alex agreed, "Yeah, I really do."

"Good," Will ran his fingers through Alex's hair gently. "I love you too."

* * *

**Day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday**

**Commitment Ceremony**

"Will, Alex," Sami yelled as she came into the house, several bags of dry cleaning over her arm. "You better be dressed. We've got one hour."

"We'll be right there," Will called down.

"OK," Sami threw their clothes on the couch. "Alright, let's get all the last minute things set up so once the ceremony is over everything can be ready."

"Is everyone really coming?" Allie asked.

"That's what they said," Sami responded. "Now we've got absolutely no time to talk."

"We would have been here earlier but someone," Sydney gave Ari a dark glance, "Took forever at the beauty salon."

"She didn't get my hair right," Ari defended as she helped get everything ready.

"That's because you wouldn't stop moving," Sami explained. "Quit freaking out."

"I'm too excited," Ari said as she started wiggling around. "Is it time yet?"

"No," everyone said at once having heard this question too many times over the past day.

* * *

Will and Alex called out for Ari to come into their bedroom minutes before the ceremony was going to begin.

They heard Ari before they saw her.

Ari, wearing a white dress of tulle and lace so fluffy she could barely walk in it, slowly came into the room.

Will smiled widely seeing his daughter looking so beautiful.

"Do you like it?" Ari lifted the edges of the dress up and turned her cheek close to her shoulder.

"You are the prettiest little girl in the entire world," Alex promised as he took her hand and spun her around once.

"Really?" Ari looked at her daddy for confirmation.

"Yes," Will grinned, "Oh my goodness, baby girl. You are gorgeous."

"The only thing that would make you look any better," Alex said as he walked over to their dresser and picked up a long black jewelry box, "Would be this."

"Gimme, gimme, gimme," Ari made grabby hands.

Will and Alex leaned against each other as they watched her mouth drop open.

Gasping loudly, Ari stared at the necklace, "It's like the one I wanted."

"Almost," Will agreed as he picked it out of the box and put it around her neck. "We figured since you love stories so much we would get you one that had a good one."

"What's the story?" Ari asked eagerly as she moved to stand in front of the mirror and gently touched her necklace.

The necklace was a delicate silver chain with a large ethereal gemstone. Will and Alex purposely picked something that would grow with Ari.

Alex cleared his throat as he explained, "It's called a moonstone. It's believed to have fallen from the sky. Apparently," Alex put his hand on Ari's shoulders, "If two people see the stone during a full moon they'll fall in love."

"Also," Will told her as she focused entirely on him and Alex, "A lot of people say if you wear the stone you'll feel healthier and happier."

In an awed voice Ari said, "I think it's working."

"Oh yeah?" Alex mused. "That fast?"

"Yeah," Ari nodded, the braids and bun pinned to the top of her head almost falling down.

"Now," Will took Ari's hand, "Are we ready to go?"

Ari nodded enthusiastically, "You two look nice too. Not as nice as me," Ari smiled widely taking in her daddy and Alex in their freshly pressed dress pants and colored shirts, "But still good."

"How generous of you," Alex laughed as he took Ari's other hand.

* * *

The three made their way down the stairs, through the meticulously cleaned home and outside where the sun was setting.

There were white lights wrapped around all the trees and strung between them. The pool had candles floating around inside of it. Sami, Allie, Sydney and Johnny were all standing between two trees with an arch in between them waiting for the three of them. Instead of an aisle there were a few old-fashioned wooden buckets with flowers in them guiding the way towards the arch.

Will and Alex, holding Ari's hand the entire time, made their way to the arch and turned to face Allie and Sydney who were holding their sheets of paper.

Sami, beaming and feeling teary eyed, kept her eyes rotating between all of her children. Johnny snapped away with the heavy duty camera Alex gave him to use.

Having practiced a little bit during Thanksgiving yesterday, everyone knew what to do.

Allie cleared her voice and began, "Love is the greatest thing that we can give to one another for love is a wondrous gift; no other can take its place, but it can take the place of all the rest. When two people entrust one another with their innermost feelings, their hearts, their lives, the bond between them strengthens and surrounds them until each becomes a part of the other. This closeness cannot be measured by time, words or circumstances. It is a wholeness of the soul, a silence and the highest form of intimacy."

Taking a deep breath she continued, "We are here today because love gathers us and especially because love has found Will and Alex and woven them together. We are gathered to remember and rejoice to recount with one another, that it is love, always love, that leads us to our true destination and to celebrate that Will and Alex have finally arrived."

Allie finished with, "This is the Commitment Ceremony of Will and Alex. We are here to listen, with love in our hearts, and to share with them, their celebration of love."

Will and Alex stared at each other the entire time, squeezing Ari's hands.

Sydney, smiling shyly, said, "To love is to remember and keep alive forever all those unique qualities that drew you to one another in the beginning. Those fist halting phrases, the thrill of discovery. That wonderful feeling of oneness when your eyes met."

Continuing on, Sydney added, "To love is to constantly search for new ways to bring each other to happiness, to make the most of every moment you share together and marvel at how your feelings for one another keep rising to new dimensions."

"To love is to create an oasis of tranquility for one another and a quiet place, apart from others, where you need not pretend, where you can be yourselves and know within your hearts, you will be accepted by one another," Sydney looked at her brother and Alex brightly.

"To love is to greet each day with anticipation, always eager for another opportunity to share new adventures and gather up new memories together. To love is to follow the rainbow through the rain, to be able to laugh at yourselves and be willing to say, 'I was wrong, I'm sorry.' To forgive, and more importantly to forget, and to always believe and trust in one another," Sydney continued.

"To love is to watch with wonder all the miracles of creation, to find beauty in all the simple things of life and to find, within ourselves, a deeper appreciation and a new awareness of how wonderful it is to be alive. To be happy, to be together," Sydney beamed.

"To love is to come together from the pathways of our past and then move forward. Hand in hand, along the uncharted roads of our future, ready to risk, to dream and to dare. And always people that all things are possible with faith and love," Sydney finished finally.

Alex, knowing his part was up, took a deep breath and desperately hoped that his vows weren't stupid. He had thought long and hard about everything Will would want to hear, "Today I give you my hand so that you will never be alone. I give you my laughter so that your happiness may always be my happiness. I give you my friendship to support and encourage you. I give you my heart for it belongs to you."

Will blinked away tears and smiled. He could see that Ari and his mom were losing that battle themselves.

Clearing his throat Will said, "I promise to give you the best of myself and to ask of you no more than you can give. I promise to respect you as your own person and to realize that your interests, desires and needs are no less important than my own. I promise to share with you my time and my attention to bring joy, strength and imagination to our relationship."

Alex kept his eyes locked on Will but couldn't keep the smile off his lips.

Sami, wearing both of their rings on her thumb, wiped her face with her hands and took the rings off.

Holding up the rings Sami said, trying to keep the tears out of her voice, "These rings are seamless circles of joy, symbolizing the love that lives deep within this couple's heart and soul. A sign of their willingness to share life's journey with each other and the seamless circle of joy that surrounds them both."

Sami turned to face Alex and said, "Alexander, you will give this ring to William, as a symbol that love lives deep within your heart and soul, that you are bound to him always, with your love, soul and heart."

Alex took the ring from Sami and told Will, "Will, accept this ring as a symbol of the promises we have made to each other today. It is a token of my love that lives deep within my heart. As I choose to share my life's journey with you, I pledge to you the joy of all my days. With this ring I commit to you my love, soul and heart."

Alex slipped the ring on Will's finger and gently caressed the ring afterwards.

Sami faced Will to repeat, "William, you will give this ring to Alexander, as a symbol that love lives deep within your heart and soul, that you are bound to him always, with your love, soul and heart."

Will took the ring and promised, "Alex, accept this ring as a symbol of the promises we have made to each other today. It is a token of my love that lives deep within my heart. As I choose to share my life's journey with you, I pledge to you the joy of all my days. With this ring I commit to you my love, soul and heart."

Will slowly pushed the ring on Alex's finger.

Ari, jumping up and down while still holding onto their hands, practically squealed.

Sami felt tears sliding down her face again. Allie and Sydney weren't even trying to hold back their sniffles. Johnny, meanwhile, was glad the camera was in front of his face.

Sami, clearing her throat, said, "Will and Alex, may God bless and keep you, may the sun of many days and years shine upon you, may the love you have for one another grow and hold you close."

Sydney, quietly crying stated, "May the good true light within you guide your way together. May your dreams come true and when they don't may new dreams arise."

Allie, linking arms with her mother and sister, completed everything with, "And long, long years from now, may you look at one another and be able to say, 'Because of you I have become the person I longed to be.'"

Alex slowly licked his lips as he heaved a deep breath and exhaled slowly feeling everything wash over him.

"Now," Johnny said, pointing the camera yet trying not to look, "Just kiss already."

Finally letting go of Ari's hands Will practically threw himself into Alex's arms and kissed as if no one was watching him.

* * *

Taking a few minutes to be alone in their room, Will and Alex sat with their foreheads pressed together.

"I love you," Will murmured, eyes shut.

"I love you," Alex said clearly. "I love you so much."

"Everyone's going to be here soon," Will replied. "And we won't get to be alone for a while."

"Doesn't matter," Alex responded. "This moment, earlier and right now, this was entirely for us."

"Everything else is for them," Will nodded before kissing Alex slowly.

* * *

The guests started arriving in small increments. The first were Will's friends from California. Next came Alex's friends. Lastly, were the citizens from Salem.

"Wow," Joey whistled as he stepped into the backyard. "This is a much fancier party than I was expecting."

"Agreed," Vic nodded. "The food I get but a dance floor?"

"It's a party," Sami said as she walked over to them. "What's a little party without dancing?"

"Hello, gentlemen," Sami greeted, smile never leaving her face. "Thank you for coming."

"Of course," Vic was a bit surprised when she pulled him into a hug.

"Wow," Joey blinked at Sami several times, "That's some dress."

"Right?" Sami nodded before walking off.

"Sami," Kate called out as soon as she walked outside with Justin on her arm, "Oh, my. This place cleans up well."

"It certainly does," Justin agreed suspiciously. "What's the occasion?"

"Ari wanted a big party," Sami shrugged. It was practically killing her having a secret this huge and not being able to talk about it yet.

"Speaking of our little princess," Kate said, "Where is she? And my other little angels?"

"They're all outside somewhere," Sami informed them, "Ari will be the one that looks like a marshmallow."

"Where's Alex and Will?" Justin called to Sami as she walked inside.

"They'll be out soon," Sami waved her hand dismissively. _'I've got some people I need to ambush before they get inside.'_

The second Lucas opened the door to Will's house he knew he was in for a big night. _'Nothing good can happen to me when the first thing I see is _that_ look on Sami Brady's face.' _

"Sami," Lucas sighed deeply before pushing the door further open and allowing Adrienne, Sonny and Paul inside.

"Lucas," Sami nodded politely keeping an eye on Sonny's face.

Sonny didn't know what he was expecting to see when they arrived but it wasn't exactly this. He still had a hard time imagining his brother living in a house of his own. He definitely couldn't picture Will or Ari being there too.

If he tried to picture it at all he could only see Will and Ari in Salem and Alex off on his own, alone.

'_But,'_ Sonny thought as he took in the house, _'Here's the proof they're all together.'_

"I just want to make one thing clear," Sami said loudly enough for them all to hear. "If any of you do anything to piss off anyone I will not hesitate to kick your butts out of here."

Paul, having never met Will's mother before, found himself oddly intimidated.

Adrienne opened her mouth to say something defensive when Lucas put his hand on her arm in warning.

"No one is going to do anything to anyone," Lucas assured her.

Will and Alex, both heading down the stairs with their hands linked, paused to eavesdrop on what was happening.

"I hope not," Sami uncrossed her arms, "Don't mess with me today."

"Is there any day someone should do that?" Alex questioned loudly as they finished down the stairs.

"No," Sami acknowledged before turning to smile at Will and Alex again. "Food got here while you were upstairs."

"Good," Will nodded at his mom. He really did appreciate all the hard work she put into this day.

Finally acknowledging everyone else in the room Will said, "Hey, glad you guys could make it."

Everything was tense and awkward until Will lifted his free hand and gestured towards the backyard, "Shall we?"

Alex pulled Will outside, their arms and legs brushing together, not wanting to let Will go.

Sonny watched the way Alex was looking at Will. Even when Alex was talking to Sami he kept his eyes on Will.

'_I've never seen them stand that closely to each other,'_ Sonny realized. He didn't know why but something seemed off about them.

When Will lifted his hand to wave everyone outside Sonny instantly saw something glinting off his finger.

'_His ring finger,'_ Sonny noticed. Sonny stopped before he could get outside. The backyard looked gorgeous. Sonny could hear Ari's carefree, happy laughter.

Paul put his hand on Sonny's lower back and pushed him outside. He understood that everything was still weird for Sonny and he had tried to be accepting of that.

Sonny followed Will and Alex as they walked over to Joey and Vic.

"Hey," Will said to Joey and Vic. Looking over at his friend Brittany dancing around with Ari, Will smiled, "I think there's someone that wants to meet you."

Will tried to walk off by himself but Alex refused to let go of his hand, so he trailed after Will.

"Brittany," Will called out having her come over. He laughed as Ari twirled herself around and around on the dance floor.

"Brit," Will said, "This is Joey and his brother Vic. The one I was telling you about."

Brittany flirtatious tossed her hair over her shoulder and smiled enticingly, "Hello, boys."

Joey grinned, _'I might finally get my own hot blonde.'_

Vic looked Brittany up and down, _'Hello, beautiful.'_

Sonny, watching as Alex's left hand stretched for a few seconds as Will pulled him along, saw a matching ring on Alex's finger. Sonny knew. He knew what Alex and Will must have done.

Staring around at the backyard, the food, the people, Sonny knew.

"You OK?" Paul asked as he pulled Sonny slightly to the side.

"I, um, I," Sonny shook his head, "Look at their rings."

"Rings?" Paul shook his head, "Who are you talking about?"

Sonny pointed over towards Will and Alex, "Rings."

Paul squinted his eyes and finally saw them. Two identical rings on Will and Alex's ring fingers.

"Oh," Paul nodded. "I see."

Paul didn't want to admit it right away but he felt like pulling Sonny onto that dance floor and forgetting every care.

'_Will is officially, completely with Alex,'_ Paul couldn't stop grinning. _'This is the best thing I've heard since Will came back in our lives.' _

Paul knew that his reasons for being happy were a bit selfish but he couldn't help it. For so long Paul was so confident that he was all Sonny was ever going to need. But the second Will came back into their lives Paul had doubted that, doubted himself.

'_But here Will is,'_ Paul shook his head, face split open in a smile. _'He's never going to come between my relationship again.' _

"Should we say something?" Paul finally asked Sonny.

"I-I don't know," Sonny swallowed. "Um, can we go get a drink first?"

His throat was unbelievable dry all of a sudden.

Paul and Sonny headed over to a beverage station that was set up so the children couldn't reach anything alcoholic.

Johnny, moving around the party, snapping a picture of everyone he saw, frowned when he saw Sonny Kiriakis in his viewfinder. A part of him wanted to turn away but a strong, loud voice demanded he confront him. A voice that annoyingly sounded like Alex.

"You," Johnny said as soon as he was within earshot. "What are you doing here?"

Sonny looked over Johnny, eyes widening comically. _'Oh my god, when did he get this tall?' _

"Alex and Will invited us," Sonny explained carefully, unsure as to what was going to happen.

Johnny, wishing his mother hadn't confiscated his ketchup-filled toy gun, moved in real close and prodded Sonny in the stomach with his finger, "I'm watching you. Always watching."

Lifting up his camera Johnny snapped a picture of Sonny's confused face. Johnny turned on his heel and walked away. He passed Will and Alex on his way and held out his fist for Alex to pound as he nodded knowingly at him.

"What was that?" Paul asked staring at the kid walking away from them.

"That would be my brother," Will answered as he and Alex moved to get some drinks.

Alex, having watched from afar, commented, "He's protective. If he asks you to follow him somewhere I wouldn't do it."

"He's not that bad," Will laughed.

Will thought it might be exceedingly awkward and uncomfortable to have Sonny and Paul at his home but it wasn't.

'_Maybe it's because I literally don't care about anything right now,' _Will thought dreamily as Alex still held his hand firmly. _'All I care about tonight is spending the evening with my family.'_

Sonny nodded, "Johnny is, um, really big now."

"Yeah," Will beamed, "He is. He really likes that camera too."

"Good thing that's his present then," Alex replied wanting to do something schmoopy and kiss Will's nose.

'_Pull yourself together,'_ Alex ordered.

Sonny stared between Will and Alex. He could almost literally see a difference in them. Alex had always looked at Will like he was the only thing he could see but this was different. Now it was like Will was something precious to Alex, something that needed to be held and worshipped.

'_And Will?'_ Sonny thought. _'Will's looking at Alex like he has every answer written on his face. God,'_ Sonny knew it had to be true. _'They got married. I know they did.'_

Sonny didn't know how he felt about it all. A part of him was horrified. Despite the way it turned out for him, he thought of his marriage as something sacred. He thought that was always going to be something that was just for him and Will.

'_But that's so selfish,'_ Sonny knew. While he was backpacking on his trip, with only his thoughts for company, Sonny realized many things. One of those things was that he had to let Will go.

'_Will was mine for a time. We both lost our way and made mistakes. If I ever wanted a chance with him again I should have chased after him. But I didn't and there has to be a reason.' _

Sonny closed his eyes tightly, _'Now it doesn't matter. Will is happy. He's found someone that can understand him in a way that I can't. Someone that can love him in a way I can't. And so have I.'_

'_Maybe things could have turned out different,'_ Sonny opened his eyes and saw Will beaming at Alex, _'But I think we're exactly where we need to be.'_

Clearing his throat, Sonny quietly gestured to both of their left hands, "I guess now the party makes sense."

"Hmm?" Will wondered as he finally tore his eyes away from Alex.

Sonny looked pointed at their rings and back up at them, "Well?"

"Well, what?" Justin asked as he and Kate walked over.

Ari, taking a break from dancing, swished over and jumped into her grandpa's arms, "I missed you!"

Justin easily caught Ari, even with the extra bulk from the dress, "I missed you too. Don't you look like a little princess?"

"I am a princess," Ari nodded, giving Kate a hug as well before wiggling her way over to her daddy and Alex.

"Now, what exactly were you all taking about?" Justin questioned. He desperately hoped that everyone was going to get along at this party.

Leaning against Alex's stomach, Ari smiled angelically and played with her necklace, "Probably that Daddy and Alex are going to be together with me forever."

"Is that so?" Kate mused looking at Will quizzically.

Adrienne and Lucas, seeing a group forming, headed over as well. Lucas moved Adrienne over so she wasn't near Sami who was joining everyone too.

"Yeah," Ari nodded enthusiastically, "There were rings and promises and we all cried a lot and lots of kissing and Alex didn't even touch Daddy's butt once!"

Adrienne choked on the appetizer in her mouth.

"Excuse me?" Justin clarified. _'There is no way in hell,' _Justin caught sight of the rings.

Alex shrugged, "Come to your own conclusions."

"Did you marry my grandson and not even invite me?" Kate demanded as she angrily put her hands on her hips.

"Not exactly," Alex answered as he squeezed Will's hand.

Lucas, patting Adrienne on the back, caught Will's eyes and nodded. He knew he had been a lousy father to Will for a long time. Things had slowly been getting better between them.

'_But not good enough,'_ Lucas knew. Seeing how happy Will and Ari looked Lucas decided he didn't care.

'_Whatever makes them happy,'_ Lucas promised himself. _'As long as they're happy.'_

Joey, stomping over, "Wait, wait, wait. Who got married without me?"

"No one," Will laughed. "Not really anyway."

"How do you not really get married?" Vic asked casually walking up with Will's friend Brittany following behind him.

Ari, jumping up and down excitedly, said, "It's better than getting married! It's just for them and me. And I got to plan almost everything. Do you want to see my binder? I'll get it."

Ari skipped off to her room.

"So?" Justin looked at Alex expectantly.

"So," Alex said, "We did our own thing."

Sami went to stand next to Alex and put her hand on his back, "So, they had an extremely beautiful commitment ceremony."

"You were there?" Adrienne couldn't stop herself from asking.

Allie, Sydney and Johnny with his camera came to join the group. "We all were there," Sydney explained.

"We had speeches," Allie told everyone.

"I took pictures," Johnny informed them all.

"And I gave them their rings," Sami smugly told Adrienne.

Alex, seeing Adrienne and Sami staring each other down, couldn't stop himself from putting his arm around Sami's waist.

"And why the hell wasn't I there?" Joey cried out. "I can take pictures and give speeches." Looking indignant Joey turned to Alex accusingly, "Why did Will's siblings get to go and I didn't?"

"Because they aren't annoying like you are," Alex told him. "And because we only wanted the people that were there for us in the beginning."

Everyone else in the group started shuffling their feet and staring at the ground.

"We decided," Alex explained further, "To only invite the people that have supported us the entire time we've been together."

"But," Will tried to lighten the mood, "We wanted the rest of you here to help us celebrate."

"I think that sounds like a wonderful idea," Kate praised before walking over to Will and hugging him tightly. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks, Grandma," Will whispered.

"Son," Justin stuck out his hand, "I don't think I've ever been prouder of you."

"Thank you," Alex responded before ignoring the outstretched hand and pulling his father into a hug.

Kate shoved Justin aside so she could hug Alex as well.

Justin, cautiously hugging Will, told him quietly, "Thank you for making him so happy."

"Thanks for not giving up on him," Will replied.

Lucas walked over to Will, "I'm really happy for you, son."

"Thank you," Will nodded before rolling his eyes and hugging his father.

Alex looked up, assuming Adrienne was following Lucas, only to see her slinking off into the house.

"So," Will whispered to Joey as he got a big hug, "How do you like Brittany?"

"She seems nice," Joey responded. "A little slow but nice."

Will smacked Joey on the stomach, "Behave."

Vic hugged Alex on patted him on the back, "Congrats. I know how happy you must be feeling right now."

Alex exhaled slowly, "You have no idea."

* * *

Once Will and Alex had a moment alone Johnny, Allie, Sydney, Sami and Ari all called the two of them inside.

"What's this about?" Alex demanded not trusting that look in all of their eyes_. 'Crazy Brady eyes,'_ Alex decided.

"We have something for you," Allie told him as they handed over a fancy looking bag for him.

"Oh," Alex was surprised, "Huh. Well, Will and I have stuff for you guys too."

Will, walking over to the front closet, got their presents out.

The girls were too excited and ripped into their boxes right away. They each got earrings that matched Ari's necklace along with a note telling them how much they loved them.

Johnny was very enthusiastic about getting to keep the camera he had been using.

Will and Alex wanted to wait until they were alone for Sami to get her gift.

"This is for you," Ari handed her daddy a small package.

Alex nodded at Will indicating he should open his present first.

"OK," Will pulled off the lid and lifted his eyebrows in surprise, "Wow, it's beautiful."

"It was actually Johnny's idea," Sami explained as Will picked up a leather bound book with Will's name on it. "We took all of your articles, blogs, even some poems and essays I had saved when you were in school and had them printed in a book."

"It's your first one," Johnny informed Will. "But not your last."

"This is great," Will started leafing through the pages. "I love it."

After hugging everyone tightly Will moved back over to Alex. He couldn't wait to see his reaction.

Alex, feeling slightly unsettles with everyone staring at him, opened his surprisingly heavy gift.

"Oh," he whispered as he pulled out a copy of _The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh_ and a small stuffed Pooh bear. He almost couldn't even believe that Will remembered this.

"Look on the inside," Sami ordered feeling her eyes tear up again watching Alex. _'Good thing I brought waterproof mascara.'_

Inside Sami had written the date and a quote from one of the stories, "You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think and loved more than you'll ever know."

Every one of them signed their name underneath the quote.

Alex stared at the inscription while he squeezed the stuffed bear in one hand trying his best not to cry. As soon as everyone saw him take a deep breath they all came in close and threw their arms around him in a deep hug.

"Why do you people always try to make me cry?" Alex complained.

"Because we love you," Sydney giggled, "And it's funny."

They all stayed huddled together closely until the door behind them opened.

"This looks like a family hug I should be a part of," a voice came from the front door.

"Uncle Chad," Allie squealed as she finally saw him.

"Hey," Chad greeted as he was bombarded with children as they all broke away from the hug.

"Mine," Ari declared as she practically climbed on him until she was in his arms.

"Sorry, babe," Chad laughed, "You have to share me."

"That's a terrible idea," Ari declared.

"So," Chad chuckled while looking at Will and Alex and giving a nod of his head to Sami, "I'm guessing this isn't exactly a party, party?"

"Uh no," Will replied as he wiggled his hand around.

"Damn," Chad grinned. "Look at you. Any name changes happening in the future?"

"No," Will shook his head. "It was just for us and her," Will smiled at Ari.

"Daddy and Alex are going to be with me forever," Ari assured Uncle Chad. "There were vows."

"Oh, good," Chad smiled, "I'm glad to hear that."

"Come on," Johnny grabbed Chad's hand, "You have to see."

Before they knew it all the kids were dragging and pulling Chad away.

Alex was glad everyone left. He hated having big emotional scenes in front of too many people.

"So," Sami bumped her hip with Alex's, "Did you like it?"

"Shut up," Alex complained, "You know I did."

"Well it's true," Sami laughed. "Every single word."

Alex ignored Sami as Will handed over her gift.

Sami, not even bothering to pretend to have any patience, ripped right into the box and smiled when she saw it was jewelry.

Inside was a necklace with a glass see-through locket with little diamond studs around it. The back of the locket had the word Mom written in cursive. Inside of the locket were tiny little gemstone charms symbolizing everyone's birth stone including one for Ari and one for Alex.

"I hate you both," Sami promised before pulling them both into a hug.

"Aw," Will laughed, "We love you too, Mom."

"I know you do," Sami stated, "Obviously."

"Obviously," Alex repeated.

"Daddy," Ari screamed from outside. "Come here!"

Will pulled away from Alex and his mom and said, "I'll be back. Why don't you put these upstairs?"

"OK," Alex nodded before kissing Will and watching him walk away.

"You're so cute and sappy," Sami cooed. "I love it."

"Shut it, woman," Alex urged as he started going upstairs with Sami following behind him.

Alex pushed the door to his bedroom open and frowned when he saw someone inside of it, "What are you doing in here?"

"I was, um," Adrienne slowly put down Alex's planner that she had found, "Just looking."

"Snooping would be a better word," Sami stated following Alex inside.

"Yes," Adrienne admitted sadly.

As soon as everyone started going towards Alex and Will, Adrienne slipped away inside. She couldn't stand to be around everyone.

'_My son practically got married and I didn't know. I wasn't there,' _Adrienne thought. She had been trying to make everything right with Alex but it wasn't working the way she wanted it to.

'_No matter what I do,'_ Adrienne knew, _'It's not enough. No matter how I treat Alex he still won't open up.' _

Looking around the house Adrienne took note of every picture hanging on their walls. Even though she had been here before she had never taken the time to really and truly look.

'_There's not a single picture of me,'_ Adrienne realized. She found one of all four brothers together but not a single one of her.

'_Why won't Alex let me in? What do I have to do?' _Adrienne wondered.

She was moving up the stairs when she heard Sami, her kids and Alex come inside. From the staircase Adrienne watched as the children and Sami Brady enveloped her son into a hug. She watched as Alex tried to fight back tears over some stupid gift that Adrienne didn't even understand.

'_How is he so close to them but it's like pulling teeth to get him to acknowledge me?'_ Adrienne moved further up the stairs when she saw Sami opening a present and dragging Alex and Will against her_. 'Why is she so different to him than me?' _

Adrienne found her way into Alex and Will's room. The place looked like them so much it almost hurt. Before she knew what she was doing Adrienne was going through their things. Looking at their pictures and whatever was on top of the dressers.

Adrienne found a planner lying on a bedside drawer. She picked it up and began to look it over, realizing it was Alex's.

Over today's date was a big heart. She saw names and appointment times written.

'_Oh god,'_ Adrienne felt something inside of her catch. Every single week Alex had the same thing written down for Wednesday, "Lunch with Sami 12:30."

'_Oh my god,'_ Adrienne closed the book with a snap.

When Alex and Sami found her Adrienne didn't even bother to pretend she wasn't spying.

"Why are you in here?" Alex asked again as he gently placed his and Will's presents on the bed.

Alex and Adrienne had slowly been working on their relationship. Alex knew things weren't going as fast as Adrienne anticipated but there was almost 30 years of damage to repair.

'_And she still won't try to get closer to Will,'_ Alex reminded himself. '_Even fucking Lucas has tried to get to know me but Adrienne doesn't try with Will at all. All she cares about is being close to Ari.'_

'_It feels like all she wants is the perfect family image without the perfect family,'_ Alex decided.

"I just wanted to get to know you better," Adrienne whispered teary eyed.

Sami was unimpressed. "And you thought the way to do that was to sneak into his room and look at his stuff?" Sami huffed.

Adrienne, inexplicably angry all of a sudden, faced Sami, "Shut up."

"No," Sami argued. "You are not barging into this house, today of all days, and throwing a pity party!"

"Don't tell me what to do, Sami," Adrienne insisted. "You have no idea what I'm feeling."

"Oh, I have no idea?" Sami mocked. "I have no idea what it's like to have a child you don't even recognize anymore? A child that you've spent so many years trying your best and still failing? I don't know about that?"

"Sami," Alex wasn't sure if he should stop this or not. _'Uh,'_ Alex looked back and forth between them just in case he needed to break up a cat fight.

"Don't," Sami ordered, keeping her eyes locked on Adrienne. "I know everything there is to know about that. I know better than anyone. And you want to know how I fixed it? How I'm so close to Will and Alex? Because I fucking tried."

Adrienne didn't know what to say to that.

"I listened to Will," Sami ranted heatedly. "I let him talk and I didn't judge him or ridicule him. I listened. And he let me. He came to me. And the same thing happened with Alex. I took the time to get to know him. Him! Not what I wanted out of him, him."

"If you want a relationship with _my_ sons," Sami hissed, "Then stop whining and do something about it! They are a package deal. You want one, you get both of them."

Sami turned on her heels and went to storm out of the room. When she reached the doorway she turned and looked back over her shoulder, "If you do anything to upset either of them as god as my witness I will end you."

Alex watched Sami walk away and nodded proudly_. 'Damn,'_ he thought, _'That was good.'_

"She's right, you know," Alex told Adrienne. "You can't just expect things to get better overnight. And I might actually be willing to give you more if you realized that my life is Will and Ari."

With that Alex turned around and left the room too. He figured Adrienne might need a moment alone.

* * *

"How is it going with Joey?" Will asked Brittany as she was getting something to drink.

"So good," Brittany gushed. "He's so cute and charming. I swear I haven't had someone this interesting actually interested in getting to know me in such a long time."

"Oh," Brittany saw him waving at her, "I better get back."

Will's eyebrows knitted together, _'What? That doesn't sound like…'_ Will watched as Brittany walked over to someone_. 'Wait,'_ Will looked over to where Ari was standing on someone's shoes and dancing around.

'_Oh my god,'_ Will's eyes opened widely, _'Brittany is with Vic, not Joey.'_

Before Will could decide what to do Alex came up to him again.

"Your mom just verbally eviscerated Adrienne," Alex informed him. "It was the second greatest part of my night."

"Second?" Will wondered turning to face Alex.

"Maybe the third," Alex admitted with a small smile. Taking Will's hand Alex guided him over to the dance floor.

Will wrapped his arms around Alex's neck, "Is that so?"

Alex nodded. He heard the music suddenly change to a slow song. The song that he and Will had chosen as their official song.

Will moved closer to Alex and rested his head on Alex's shoulder.

Alex could hear Will humming along to the song and softly sang under his breath, "Like a river flows surely to the sea, darling so it goes, some things are meant to be. Take my hand, take my whole life too for I can't help falling in love with you."

Will and Alex danced by themselves for a few songs. They danced with Ari for several as well. They took turns with Will's sisters.

When Alex saw Sami lingering near the dancefloor talking to some people Alex waltzed over and dragged her into a dance.

Will beamed as he saw his mom and Alex dancing and talking to one another.

Before Will knew it he was being swept into a dance with one of the last people he would have expected.

"Oh," Will gave a surprised smile, "Paul."

"Hi," Paul said as he kept a safe distance between his body and Will's. "You look really happy."

"I am happy," Will responded easily.

"It's a good look on you," Paul told him. "I just wanted to say I'm glad that you're so happy now."

"I'm glad too," Will nodded. "I hope you get to be this happy too."

"Yeah, me too," Paul agreed. The two danced quietly for a few moments, "Did you ever think when we first met this would happen?"

"Dancing with you at my almost-wedding to Sonny's brother while you were dating Sonny?" Will clarified. "No, never in a million years did it cross my mind."

"Me either," Paul admitted. "Well, I thought about some parts."

"I bet you did," Will teased. He didn't know why it felt so easy to talk to Paul now but it did.

'_I guess I really have let go of everything from the past,'_ Will praised himself.

"Mind if I cut in?" Sonny asked.

Will moved aside assuming he wanted to dance with Paul. Therefore, he was surprised when Sonny took his hand and started to dance.

"I'm really sorry I was such an asshole to you the past few months," Sonny revealed. It felt familiar dancing with Will and yet completely different at the same time.

"I wasn't exactly the nicest to you before I left," Will said with a shrug.

"You and Alex didn't deserve it," Sonny assured Will. "And Ari didn't deserve what I did to her either."

"No, she didn't," Will agreed. "But she's getting better, now."

"And today helped?" Sonny wanted to know.

"Yeah," Will nodded. "Today was just as much for Alex and me as it was for Ari. She wanted the reassurances that Alex and I were as committed to her as we were to each other."

"I'm glad," Sonny said. "I don't want to be the reason she can't move on from the past. I'm so sorry for everything that happened."

"It's a process," Will stated. "But thank you for saying that."

Ari, watching her daddy dance with the boys she didn't like, stomped away from Joey and tapped his brother on the hip, "Excuse me?"

Will and Sonny both stopped moving to see Ari glaring.

"My turn," Ari shoved Sonny aside. "Get lost."

Sonny smiled slightly. That was, surprisingly, a better greeting than he was anticipating.

"Having fun, baby girl?" Will asked as he lifted her and her monstrous dress into his arms.

"The best," Ari nodded as she hugged Will close. "This is the best day ever. Thank you, Daddy."

"Anything for you," Will promised.

"Hey," Chad said as he came over to Will and Ari. Dancing with the two of them both he said, "Congrats on everything."

"Thank you," Ari replied. "It took a lot of hard work but it was worth it."

Will tried not to laugh, "Thanks for coming."

"Of course," Chad nodded. "I'm just glad to be invited."

Chad nervously scratched the back of his neck, "Actually there's something I need to tell you guys and I'm not really sure how."

"What is it-," Will asked before getting cut off by his mom's loud yells. _'Oh god,'_ Will thought.

Sami and Alex danced together for several songs.

"Feeling any last minute regrets?" Sami wondered already knowing the answer.

"Nope," Alex said decisively. "I know I made the right choice."

"That's right you did," Sami agreed.

Alex laughed loudly when he saw Ari kicked Sonny to the curb.

"I'm surprised either of you let that even happen," Sami sighed.

Alex shrugged, "Will can take care of himself. Besides it's a little hard to feel jealous or resentful tonight."

"You shouldn't feel any of that anyway," Sami rubbed Alex's shoulders. "He loves you completely. They both do."

"Still kind of hard to believe," Alex admitted. "That I have them. You, the kids, my own family."

"Well you deserve it," Sami squeezed Alex against her. "You deserve having everyone on your side."

"Now," Sami grabbed Alex's hand, "You're getting me a drink."

Before Alex and Sami could reach the drink station they encountered Lucas and Adrienne arguing.

"I know it's hard," Lucas rubbed his hands up and down Adrienne's shoulders, "But if we really want to be a part of our children's lives we need to face facts. It's not going to be easy."

"I just don't understand how she," Adrienne glared at Sami, "Has them and we don't."

Lucas was trying not to lose his patience but it was hard.

"Because she worked for it," Lucas reminded Adrienne. "We have to earn them, remember?"

When Alex and Sami, holding hands, came near them Adrienne couldn't stop herself from saying.

"It looks like Sami earned Alex in a different way than I can," Adrienne grumbled loudly.

Sami and Alex both paused when they heard that. They both knew exactly what Adrienne was hinting.

"What is the matter with you?" Alex demanded angrily.

He knew he had a reputation but to suggest that he's only close to Sami because they were sleeping together was insulting. _'And disgusting,'_ Alex thought, _'She's like my own mother.'_

"Adrienne," Lucas hissed under his breath.

"Well, I'm sorry," Adrienne shrugged. "But that's how it looks."

"Adrienne," Sami called no longer able to hold it in any longer, "Shut the hell up."

Sami let go of Alex's hand and marched up to Adrienne. Smiling bitterly, Sami used all her strength to shove Adrienne backwards right into the pool.

Adrienne, flailing, managed to grab Sami's arm and drag her in too.

"Mom," Will shouted as he finally made his way over.

Sami and Adrienne were each grabbing onto the other and yanking.

"Adrienne," Lucas yelled.

Alex crossed his arms and watched, amused.

"For god's sake," Will complained as he went to get the pool skimmer.

"What the hell is your problem?" Sami shouted as she pushed Adrienne under the water.

"Me?" Adrienne gasped as she surfaced. "You're the one trying to steal my son."

"Get over it," Sami urged.

"Go mom," Johnny yelled while taking some more pictures.

"Woo," Allie cheered.

"Grandma, grandma, grandma," Ari chanted encouragingly.

Will, back with the pool skimmer, prodded the both of them apart.

Finally getting out of the pool, shivering in the chilly November air, Sami declared loudly, "I hate this woman."

Without another word Sami stomped into the house.

"Yeah," Alex nodded calmly, "I think we got that."

Justin went to stand next to Alex.

"Two blondes fighting over you," Justin commented, "And it's not even in a sexual way for once."

"You can't fight destiny," Alex said mockingly.

"God," Will came over to Alex. "What the hell was that?"

"I'm apparently sleeping with your mom," Alex put his arm around Will, "Hate to break it to you."

"I'm so sad," Will quipped.

Seeing Vic talking to Brittany, Kate gossiping with some of Will's other friends, the girls all back to dancing on the floor, Will remembered Chad needed to talk to him.

"Hey," Will waved him over. "What were you going to say?"

"Um," Chad thought it over. "It can wait a minute. Let the excitement die down. I'll be right back."

Chad walked over to a secluded section of the party and pulled out his phone.

"Weird," Will said out loud before leaning into Alex, "Well, what's a party without a little excitement."

"You can take the girls out of Salem," Justin said, "But you can't take the Salem out of the girls."

"I'm really so sorry," Lucas told Will and Alex ardently. "Congratulations and again, I'm so, so sorry."

"I got in a fight at your wedding," Alex shrugged. "Adrienne got in a fight at mine."

With that being said Lucas and Adrienne left.

* * *

Sami, sopping wet and dripping all over the floor, stormed into Will and Alex's room and slammed the door.

Joey, who was morosely lying on the bed in the dark, jumped up when the door burst open. Confused as to what Sami was doing completely wet Joey looked at her strangely.

'_Stupid, stupid Adrienne,'_ Sami thought as she yanked open Will's drawer of clothes and yanked out something that might fit her.

Reaching behind her to unzip her dress Sami turned around and screamed when she saw one of the twins on the bed.

"Ahhh," Joey screamed back in surprise.

"Jesus," Sami put her hand over chest, "Joey, what the hell are you doing in here?"

"Bemoaning my existence," Joey sighed before throwing himself back on the bed.

"Huh?" Sami questioned as she slowly started calming down.

'_I can't believe that idiot tried pulling something like that tonight of all nights,' _Sami thought.

"Will tried to set me up with his friend, Brittany," Joey explained, "And she left me for Vic."

"…Right," Sami said trying not to laugh.

"She couldn't tell us apart," Joey added crossing his arms indignantly. "Then she decided she liked him better. Who would like him better?"

"I'm the good one," Joey mumbled under his breath.

Sami, smiling slightly, stated, "Not that it's helpful but I like you better."

"You do?" Joey asked hopefully.

"Of course," Sami shrugged, "Also, personally I think Brittany is an idiot."

"She is kind of stupid, huh?" Joey felt a little bit better.

"Besides that dumb bitch was driving when Will was in that accident and didn't even make him go to the hospital. He could have died because of that," Sami huffed as she started shivering.

Joey, noticing Sami was freezing, "Oh, I'm sorry." Joey scrambled off the bed, "You should get changed."

Sami tried to reach behind her for her zipper once again but couldn't quite grasp it. "Wait," she called before Joey walked out of the room.

"Hmm?" Joey turned back around and tried not to stare at the way the dress was clinging to her.

"Little help?" Sami asked turning around so her back was facing him.

"Uh, OK," Joey replied. Pulling the zipper down Joey wrinkled his brows, "Exactly why are you all wet?"

Sami, figuring it might not be a good idea to say she got into a fight with his mother, responded with, "I got pulled into the pool."

"Wow," Joey licked his lips when he realized Sami wasn't wearing a bra. Shaking his head, Joey said, "I mean that sucks."

"It's not the worst cat-fight I've ever been in," Sami informed him before looking over her shoulder at Joey.

"I miss everything," Joey complained before catching Sami's eyes. "Oh," Joey pressed his lips out, "Your eyes are really blue."

"I'm aware," Sami smiled enjoying the way Joey was looking at her. It had been a long time since someone had looked at her like that.

"Uh, I'm gonna do something that's probably going to get me slapped," Joey put his hands on Sami's arms and turned her around.

"That's a risk you're just going to have to take," Sami answered before grabbing Joey's collar and pulling him into a kiss.

Before either knew it they were lying on Will and Alex's bed.

"Should we be doing this here?" Sami wondered out loud as Joey wiggled out of his clothes.

"Alex had sex with my girlfriend in high school," Joey told Sami seriously. "We're having sex on his bed."

"Uh, OK," Sami decided before Joey kissed her again, pressing his naked body against hers.

* * *

"I better go check on my mom," Will told Alex as he slipped inside and up the stairs.

Opening the door Will immediately closed it as he backed away in horror.

'_Oh my god, what the fuck did I just see?'_ Will thought as he rushed downstairs. _'Which twin was that?' _

Running back to Alex Will stared at him completely panicked, "Have you seen Vic and Joey?"

"Vic's over there," Alex pointed to him, "I'm pretty sure he's gonna go home with Brittany. Don't know how that happened." Looking over at Will, Alex frowned, "What's with you?"

"I want a new bed," Will urged Alex holding onto his arm desperately.

"What?" Alex questioned wrinkling his nose.

"We're buying a new bed," Will repeated. "Right away."

"What are you-?" Alex asked before thinking back to Will's earlier question. "No."

"Yes," Will started nodding frantically.

"No," Alex said in a deep voice, nostrils flaring.

"Why do I always walk in on my mommy having sex?" Will asked pathetically before hiding his face in Alex's chest.

Alex wrapped Will in his arms, "He is fucking dead."

* * *

Later, Joey walked back outside with a swagger in his step.

"There you are," Vic said as soon as he saw his brother. "I've been looking for you."

Brittany was sheepishly standing next to Vic.

"Um," Vic started to explain, "I know you came here expecting to be with Brittany but I think we really hit it off."

Joey, putting his arm around Vic, said, "Psh, water under the bridge. Besides I found myself a hotter blonde to pass the time with." Looking at Brittany Joey added, "No offense."

Alex, stalking forward, punched Joey hard in the arm.

Sami, having just made it back outside after waiting a few minutes so it wouldn't be too obvious about what she was doing, paused to see what Alex was going to do next.

"Ow," Joey complained putting his hand over his wound.

"That's for scarring Will, ruining my bed and sleeping with my mother," Alex declared in a strangled tone.

"What the hell?" Vic demanded backing away from Joey in disbelief.

Sami, casually eavesdropping, put her hand over her heart, "You think of me as your mother?"

"I-I," Alex looked panicked, not anticipating Sami hearing that, "That's not the point of the conversation."

"Oh, Alex," Sami started tearing up, "You really are the sweetest thing."

Alex tried to fight off Sami's hug until he gave in and stood there with a frown on his face.

Alex turned to Will, who was beaming at them, "You fix this. You fix this now."

"Oh, baby," Will cooed before wrapping both of them into a hug. "You have no idea how happy this makes me."

Joey, smiling at the sight as he rubbed his arm up and down, couldn't help from moving closer and trying to join the hug, "Look what I caused."

"I will kill you if you touch any of us," Alex threatened seriously.

Joey took a step back.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Vic asked judgmentally.

"I had the time of my life," Joey bragged, "And none of you can take that away from me."

Will glared at Joey, "My eyes can never un-see that."

"Hey now," Joey teased, "Is that anyway to talk to your step-brother/step-uncle/step-father?"

"Hit him again," Sami told Alex smiling when he followed her directions.

"I'm kidding," Joey said loudly as Alex started chasing him down. "I know it was a once in a lifetime experience."

"Stop talking," Alex ordered.

"I changed the sheets," Joey added unhelpfully.

"I swear to god you little bastard," Alex threatened.

"Why do things like this always happen to me?" Will asked rhetorically.

"I don't know, sweetie," Sami patted him on the back.

"When I told you to start dating again," Will turned to face his mother, "I did not mean him."

"Relax," Sami rolled her eyes. "Joey is like when you jumpstart a car. It's a momentary fix before you find out what the real battery problem is."

"I am so disturbed right now," Will shook his head.

"Daddy," Ari wandered up to them, "Why is Alex beating up Joey?"

"He did a bad, bad, thing," Vic answered for Will.

"That no one else is talking about, got?" Sami ordered menacingly.

"No one is talking about what?" Chad questioned as he came over. "What the hell?"

"Nothing," Sami replied before anyone else could. "Nothing happened."

"OK," Chad didn't believe that, "Well since you and Will are both here there's something I need to-,"

"Ahhh," Joey ran back over and picked up Ari like a shield, "I won't do it again, just leave me alone."

"You stay the hell away from Sami," Alex hissed through his teeth.

Will grabbed Alex's arm and comfortingly touched him. "Relax," he purred.

"Uh," Chad looked between Joey and Sami slowly before closing his eyes, "Right."

"When do we get the dessert?" Ari demanded. "I want it now."

"I'll go set it up," Sami offered before getting the hell out of there.

Alex made another threatening motion towards Joey before letting Will walk him away.

"Good thing Adrienne isn't here," Will finally said, not able to hold it in any longer.

Alex tried not to laugh but he couldn't stop himself. He wanted to stay mad but the situation was almost too much.

"Don't think she would have anticipated this happening after her fight with mom," Will giggled.

"Hurry," Ari whined as she stood next to the dessert table.

Will and Alex both weren't big on cake or cupcakes. So, instead, they decided to have an entire display of various desserts. There were cookies and candies and ice cream.

After they both filled up a plate the two sat down closely together and ate.

"So, all in all, not a bad day," Alex decided. "I could have done without Sami and Joey but at least I didn't have to see it."

"Right," Will rolled his eyes. "Well, ignoring that, I'd say we did pretty good."

"Yep," Alex decided to be cheesy and lifted a piece of fudge up to Will's mouth.

Will indulgently took a bite before offering Alex part of his cookie.

"Way better than a real wedding," Alex declared.

Will pulled Alex into a chocolatey kiss.

* * *

The guests started slowly leaving, Brittany with Vic, Justin and Kate, a few of Alex's friends hooking up with a few of Will's and Joey making sure to steer clear of Sami.

Soon enough the only guest left was Chad.

"Alright," Sami shoved two suitcases at Will and Alex while they were standing inside. "You two need to get to the airport. Your flight leaves in a little over two hours."

"Are you sure?" Will asked, "We can fly out later and help with this mess."

Sami waved her hand, "Oh please. This isn't my first rodeo. I'll take care of the mess here. You guys enjoy your honeymoon."

Chad, distracted with the kids, didn't realize that Will and Alex were getting ready to leave.

"And you're sure it's not too much trouble watching Ari the next few days?" Will made sure.

"Yes," Sami insisted impatiently, "I think I can handle it. I know when to take her to preschool. When she goes to art class and when she goes on play dates. It's for a few days. We will be fine."

"I know," Will sighed. "I'm just nervous about leaving my baby."

"Don't be nervous, Daddy," Ari came up to him and made grabby hands. When she was safely in his arms, Ari added, "I'll have fun. You don't have to worry about me anymore."

"Is that so?" Alex hummed smiling at Ari happily.

"I feel better," Ari nodded. "I know you'll come back for me."

"Just like we know if we don't you'll hunt us down," Will teased.

"I would," Ari said seriously before making a fist and waved it in their face.

"But you'll still miss us, right?" Alex pouted his lips.

"Duh," Ari replied before kissing Alex's pout away.

"You better miss us," Will replied before accepting a kiss as well.

"Every day," Ari promised.

"You don't mind that we're going on a strip without you?" Will double checked.

"No," Ari shook her head. "I heard Grandma say you were going to have s-e-x the whole time," Ari nodded, "I don't know what that is but she said you do that all the time."

"Oh god," Will said out loud while looking up at the ceiling.

"That's pretty much exactly what I have planned," Alex confirmed.

Will gave Alex a look.

"What?" Alex shrugged. "It's true."

Sami hurried back over, "OK, get moving. You're going to be late."

"Fine," Alex said, "Try not to fuck anymore of my brother's on my bed."

"I'll buy you a new one," Sami rolled her eyes. "Now get out of here!"

"Bye, Daddy, Alex," Ari yelled over everyone else's goodbyes.

Practically being shoved out the door Will and Alex got into their car and drove to the airport.

* * *

Sami, exhausted after everything, made up the couches for the kids to sleep on. _'We can just have a sleep over,' _Sami decided.

After everyone was fast asleep Sami made her way over to Chad who was patiently waiting for her to talk with him.

"OK," Sami whispered, "What is so important?"

"I really wish Will was with you for this," Chad said as he shook his head.

"Well he's not," Sami shrugged, "So just tell me."

Glad to see that Sami hadn't changed, Chad revealed, "I found something out."

"What?" Sami wondered.

"It's about EJ," Chad told her. "I don't think he's dead."

* * *

**The Next Day**

**Private Island, Florida Keys**

"Why are you still sleeping?" Will whispered in Alex's ear, "Wake up, baby."

Will rubbed up and down Alex's chest. The two were lying outside near the beach. The hot sun was beating down on their warm skin.

"You wore me out this morning," Alex praised as he grabbed at Will's naked waist.

"I wanna wear you out again," Will laughed as he settled himself on top of Alex's hips.

"I think I could get used to this whole married thing," Alex decided.

"Not married," Will reminded him.

Alex nodded, "We're whatever we want to be."

"What I want right now," Will said as he started touching Alex, "Is for you to be inside me."

"Your wish is my command," Alex groaned, bucking against Will.

With the waves crashing against the shore, Will and Alex touched and caressed each other over and over again.

_Will and Alex carefully walked upstairs. _

"_But-," they could hear Ari complaining, wanting to follow after them. _

"_They want to take a few moments alone," Sami explained. "Now come help me get some of these things out." _

_Will sighed happily once they closed the door to their room. _

_Alex didn't know what to say now that they were alone. He almost felt like there were no words he could say. Nothing was big enough to describe what he was feeling._

"_We did it," Will whispered as he sat down. "Ceremony is over."_

"_I guess technically we had one of those before," Alex murmured. _

_Will nodded before reaching over into the side drawer and pulling out a piece of paper. _

"_Doesn't mean much though," Will admitted as he looked it over._

_The thick bluish paper read State of California, County of Los Angeles, License and Certificate of Marriage: William Robert Horton and Alexander Neil Kiriakis. _

"_This," Alex took the marriage certificate from Will, "Is legal mumbo jumbo. It was just easier than having to go through everything else." _

"_I know," Will replied as he took the paper back and put it in the drawer. "It doesn't mean anything to me." Sitting back on the bed Will took Alex's hand, "What we did downstairs means everything." _

_Alex cupped Will's face and kissed him gently. _

_They pulled away from each other and leaned their foreheads together._

"_I love you," Will murmured, eyes shut. _

"_I love you," Alex said clearly. "I love you so much." _

"_Everyone's going to be here soon," Will replied. "And we won't get to be alone for a while." _

"_Doesn't matter," Alex responded. "This moment, earlier and right now, this was entirely for us."_

"_Everything else is for them," Will nodded before kissing Alex slowly._

* * *

Author's note:

Technically the two are legally married. However, Will and Alex do not think of themselves that way. The certificate was purely for legal reasons. The commitment ceremony was for them. Also, partially inspired by my uncle and his partner of 15 years who got married last year for a green card and told exactly 3 people.

I wish I could say I wrote the words from the commitment ceremony but I did not. They were a sample from a website called . I changed a few things so they fit but they are definitely not my own.

Also their song was "_I Can't Help Falling in Love with You_," by Elvis.

Pardon any mistakes. I didn't edit as much as I usually would.

Please let me know what you thought.

Thanks for reading this monster!

Dedicated to my good friend iluvh0rs3s. I hope you enjoyed it.


	15. Chapter 15

Alex opened his eyes and lazily asked, "What are you doing?"

_Snick Snick_

"Taking pictures," Will commented in a low voice as he snapped picture after picture of Alex's bare back and the strategically placed sheet covering the rest of him.

"I think that's my job," Alex replied as he rolled onto his back and looked up at the camera Will was hiding behind. The early morning sunshine was drifting through the open French doors.

"I've watched you enough times," Will grinned as the sheet slipped off of Alex's hips and left him exposed. "I've picked up some skills."

Alex, making a show of stretching his arms over his head, tried not to react to Will's focus. He enjoyed having Will's attention solely focused on him though.

"Plus," Will added, "You have pictures of me. I want pictures of you."

Alex sat up and grabbed the camera from Will, "How about we compromise, hmm?"

"Oh yeah," Will smiled as Alex gestured for him to move closer. "What kind of compromise?"

Alex let Will snuggle against his neck, practically curled up into his lap, "Like this."

Alex held the camera out and snapped a few pictures of the two of them. He pulled it back and made sure the pictures came out before going again.

"You have the best ideas," Will sighed against Alex's neck. After so many days spent in the sun and the ocean Alex was starting to smell like sea salt. Will trailed his lips up and down Alex's tanned skin.

"It was my idea to marry you," Alex mused as he took a particularly fantastic shot of Will's tongue gliding down his neck.

"You gonna brag about that?" Will shifted and pressed Alex into the pillows and dug his teeth into the juncture of his neck and shoulder.

Alex shifted his legs open so his knees were on either side of Will's body. "It's our secret and I get to brag to you all I want."

Will sat up while straddling Alex's hips, taking the camera back and focusing in on the mark he left on Alex.

"I have an idea," Will started gyrating his hips.

"I'm all ears, pet," Alex moaned, hips lifting to meet Will's gentle thrusts.

"I wanna get on my hands and knees," Will told Alex, snapping a picture of Alex's fluttering lashes and bitten lip, "And then see how good of a shot you can get while you're buried inside me."

Alex instantly flipped Will onto his knees, "And you say I have good ideas."

* * *

"As much as I miss Ari," Will told Alex as they lied on the white beach enjoying the sunset one last time, "I'm really going to miss this place."

"We should come back," Alex offered. "Take a few days every year just for ourselves."

"That's a good idea," Will smiled as traced his big toe up and down Alex's leg.

The two sat in wonderful silence, the only sound being the waves lapping against their feet. Alex has his head pressed against Will's chest. Will ran his fingers through his silky smooth locks and found himself asking a question.

"Why did you decide to open up to me?" Will wondered.

"What do you mean?" Alex had his eyes barely open. He was so comfortable he was tempted to fall asleep.

"Out of everyone you've ever been with," Will explained in a soft voice, "Every person on the planet why was I the only one you ever fell in love with?"

Alex had spent a long time thinking about this when he first came to the startling realization that he was hooked on Will. He didn't understand how it happened and for a long time he tried to deny the why. But he knew Will deserved the truth.

"I want to say it's because of something sappy like you being meant for me or something equally as lame," Alex began. "But that's only partially true."

Will nodded understandingly. He knew Alex didn't like big, cheesy declarations.

Alex sat up so he could look at Will. He made sure to keep his hands on Will's chest so he wouldn't move.

"You know I've been with a lot of people," Alex said, "And some of them I liked and some of them I only liked when we had sex. I was with a few people that I liked for both but it wasn't this," Alex rubbed his pam between Will's pecs, "It wasn't what I have with you."

"The real truth though," Alex continued, "Is I probably could have fallen in love several times. If I had let people stay or if I would have tried, I don't know. But I never wanted to. I never met anyone that I thought was worth the effort."

Will kept his eyes trained on Alex's face. He could see the sincerity in his expression and his tone. He also knew that Alex would never lie to him about anything especially not about this.

"I've had people tell me they were in love with me," Alex shook his head, "But it didn't mean anything to me. It always made me feel like it was a net or something. That saying the words was a way to trap me. That if they said them they thought it would unlock some dark, dead place in my heart."

Alex moved one hand up to Will's face and traced patterns on his cheeks, "I've never felt that way with you. Ever. Whenever you say you love me it's," Alex wished he was better with words, "Freeing, I don't know."

"It's kind of stupid," Alex curled his lip, "You technically should be the worst person for me. The one that would literally shackle me to a lifestyle I never wanted. But almost every decision we've ever made about our relationship has been my idea."

"What it comes down to," Alex pressed himself against Will's front, "Is there was something about you. I still don't know what it was. Maybe it was the fact that you never asked me for anything. Maybe it was the way you can be so shameless and yet still so insecure. Maybe it's something shallow or something deep. Maybe it's everything, all the little things that make you, you."

"Did that make sense?" Alex asked slightly worried his rambling had no point.

"It made perfect sense," Will wrapped his arms around Alex's neck.

"OK, good." Alex said briskly.

Will smiled before pulling Alex back down to lie against his chest and resume petting his hair.

"Alex?" Will asked a few moments later.

"Hmm?" Alex had closed his eyes fully enjoying the moment.

"I love you," Will whispered gently.

"I know," Alex replied as a large smile graced his features. "God, I love you too."

"_Hey," Alex said into the phone once Will answered, "Um, I've kind of got something going on tonight." _

"_Oh," Will said feeling a horrible crushing sensation in his chest. _

_He had gotten so used to seeing Alex every night for the past few months. _'At least he told me,'_ Will thought, _'I could have gone to the bar and waited all night like a loser.'

"_So," Alex rushed out, "Uh maybe you can meet me for lunch." _

_Will waited a few moments almost certain he had hear incorrectly. _

"_Or not," Alex added thinking Will's silence was an answer. "It's cool either way." _

"_No," Will practically shouted. Clearing his throat he said, "No, um, I mean yes. Yes, I can meet you for lunch."_

"_Right," Alex replied. "Yeah, that's um, great." _

_Wincing and rolling his eyes Alex scolded himself, _'Great? Are you fucking twelve?'

"_What time can you meet?" Alex demanded sounding more like himself than before._

* * *

_Alex waited outside the restaurant for Will to show up. He did not get there 15 minutes early because he was anxious. _'No,'_ Alex assured himself, _'It's because traffic was surprisingly good today. That's it.'

_Seeing a familiar looking body turning a corner and fall into sight Alex stood up straight and inhaled and exhaled quickly. _

'Nothing to be worried about we've had dinner before. Lunch is no different. Nothing to worry about,' _Alex reminded himself. _'Nothing at all,'_ Alex said as a bright smile lit up Will's face the second he noticed Alex. _'Oh fuck,'_ Alex thought in a near panic. _

_His heart was pounding against his chest in a way he was only familiar with during a good workout or great sex. He felt something slithering around in his stomach, some unfamiliar fluttering. _

'Oh god,'_ Alex thought momentarily dazed, _'I'm too young to be having a heart attack. I need an ambulance.'

"_Hey," Will greeted glancing at Alex's eyes before shyly looking down at his feet. Almost as if reminding himself Will forced his eyes back up. _

'This is not a heart attack,'_ Alex thought as he reached out to put his hand on Will's lower back and brushed against his arm, skin feeling like it was zapped. _'This is Will.'

* * *

_Alex knew he must have been acting strangely all lunch since Will kept giving him quizzical glances. But he couldn't help it. He had never felt anything like this before and frankly it scared the shit out of him. _

'I have never felt anything this strong before,'_ Alex knew he was staring at Will but he didn't understand. _'What is it about him that does this? It's been over a month and I'm not bored. He's been talking nonstop and I'm actually interested. What the fuck?'

"_Um," Will scratched at his ear, "Are you feeling OK?" _

_Alex closed his eyes briefly before opening them again, "Yeah. Just a lot on my mind I guess." _

"_Oh," Will nodded understandingly as he took a small sip of his water. "Do you want to tell me about it?" _

"_No," Alex said harshly. _'Maybe a bit too harshly judging by how startled he looks.'

"_Right," Will gave Alex a small smile before looking at the table. _

"_I don't want to think about it," Alex explained as he reached across the table and touched Will's wrist. _

'Fuck, why am I reassuring him? Why do I give a shit if he looks sad? Why is he doing this to me?'_ Alex wondered. _

"_I get it," Will smiled genuinely at Alex before biting his lip. Whenever Alex stared at him he never knew what to feel. He didn't think anyone had ever looked at him the way Alex did. _

"_I really hope you do," Alex said heart beating wildly again knowing he had made Will happy._

* * *

"_Thanks for inviting me," Will told Alex as they walked to the parking lot, shoulders brushing together. _

"_I wanted to see you," Alex admitted, "Anyway that I could."_

_Will knew he had to be blushing but he didn't care. There was something about Alex that made him feel incredibly open and vulnerable but safe at the same time. It was all still confusing for Will, he didn't quite know if it was real, but Will trusted it, trusted Alex. _

_Will stopped in front of his car and turned to face Alex. _

'What does he even see in me?'_ Will wondered as he saw the expression on Alex's face._

"_I'll call you tomorrow," Alex moved forward until Will was pressed into the side of the car. "I need to see you again," he whispered. _

"_Why?" Will asked in a breathless tone. _

"_I don't know," Alex confessed. "I just know that I do." _

"_OK," Will nodded before wrapping his arms around Alex. _

_Alex felt his traitorous butterflies curl up in contentment as Will held Alex close and kissed him._

* * *

Will looked through his phone as they exited the airport parking garage and headed for home. The island they were on had Wi-Fi and cell service but the two had done their best to make sure nothing distracted them from themselves unless it was an emergency.

As a nice surprise for Ari, Will and Alex had bought several of the books where you could record your own voice reading the story. Even though they were gone for four nights Will and Alex still wanted to be a part of her bedtime routine.

"I've got a lot of calls from Chad," Will said as he scrolled through his missed call log, "Wonder what that's about."

"Beat me," Alex shrugged before sighing as they got on the freeway and entered a traffic jam. "Didn't miss this," he complained.

Will looked over at Alex and grinned.

"What?" Alex narrowed his eyes at Will.

"I didn't notice it when we were there but you're so dark now," Will gasped in delight.

"OK," Alex gave Will a strange look, "You're tanner too. It's called being in the sun."

"I'm tan," Will dismissed, "You are looking like some sort of Greek god right about now."

Alex smirked happily, "Oh yeah?"

"Uh huh," Will nodded as his eyes trailed over every bit of exposed flesh. He reached out and put his arm next to Alex's to compare.

Will had a slight orange tint to him. He wasn't normally pale however he definitely looked like he had been in the sun for hours at a time.

'_But Alex,'_ Will practically groaned, _'God he looks good, all olive-toned and delicious.'_

"You are so good for my ego," Alex bragged as the traffic finally started moving. "I think you're two seconds away from drooling."

"What are the chances of you being able to drive right," Will leaned over as far as he could and moved his hand to Alex's inner thigh, "While I did this?"

Alex jumped slightly, Adam's apple bobbing, "I did good when we drove to Vegas but there's only one way to find out."

* * *

Will and Alex pulled into Sami's driveway. They needed a few moments to collect themselves.

"Well at least you didn't make a mess," Alex panted, cheeks flushed and a satisfied grin on his face.

"I'm shocked you didn't get pulled over," Will pulled down the visor to look at himself in the mirror. He attempted to fix his hair and wipe a few traces of their encounter from the corner of his mouth.

"Just lucky I guess," Alex boasted as he pulled Will forward and captured his lips.

The two were about to get carried away when there was a knock at the car window.

Will and Alex pulled a part to see Johnny standing there with his arms crossed and forehead wrinkled.

Will laughed before getting out of the car and moving to his brother's side.

Alex, after zipping his pants back up, got out of the car and pounded Johnny on the back in greeting.

"How's it been around here?" Alex wondered.

"Too many girls," Johnny told them while shaking his head. "Thank god you're back. I need to do something manly before I scream."

Will laughed as they started walking for the door as Johnny explained how awful it was being the only boy in a land full of overbearing females.

Before Alex could close the door behind them he heard a pounding on the steps and a high-pitched voice that made his heart throb in longing, "Daddy, Alex!"

Ari jumped the last three steps and practically leapt into her daddy's arms and locking her legs around tight.

"Hi," Will beamed at his daughter. He could have sworn that she had grown in the few days they were apart.

"I missed you so much," Ari snuggled into Will's neck before snapping her eyes open and seeing Alex. Ari extended her arms and beckoned Alex closer forcing him into a group hug.

"Missed you too," Will murmured into her hair. He and Alex had kept themselves busy but he had missed Ari more than he wanted to admit. This trip was the longest he had spent away from her since she was a baby and he went on his writing fellowship.

"Damn," Alex said, "Thought we got rid of you."

Ari gave Alex a bright grin knowing he wasn't serious, "You wish."

"Did you have fun when we were away?" Will asked as he let Ari slip down to the floor.

"Yeah," Ari started to excitedly explain her very busy five days and four nights without them.

Almost an hour later Will realized they had spent time talking and chatting with everyone but his mother.

"I'll be right back," Will said as he kissed the top of Ari's head and the side of Alex's jaw. He smiled when as soon as he got up from the couch Ari wiggled over to lean against Alex.

Will searched throughout the house for his mom before finally finding her in her bedroom.

Will knocked on the door before entering, "Hey," he said. "You feeling alright?"

Sami was lying on her side staring at two pictures on her nightstand.

Will, frowning in concern, kicked off his shoes and lied down next to her on the bed.

Sami reached out for the two pictures and rolled onto her back.

"Mom," Will asked, "What's wrong?"

"This was our life before," Sami stated holding up one frame that had a picture of Will, baby Ari, Allie, Johnny, Sydney, herself and EJ. Sonny had taken the picture for them shortly after Ari was born.

"OK," Will nodded. He remembered the moment. A part of him at the time was just thrilled to be out of the hospital and with his family. The other part wished that Sonny was in the photo and not taking it.

'_I guess times change,'_ Will reminded himself.

"This is us now," Sami lifted the other frame she had. It was the picture she used for their holiday card. The one of Ari, Will, Alex, Johnny, Sydney, Allie and herself on one of their many trips to Disneyland.

"I'm not sure I'm following, Mom," Will admitted. "Are you upset things have changed?"

"No," Sami shook her head.

She had kept everything inside of her since she had talked to Chad after Will and Alex's ceremony. She listened to him explain everything. She let Chad make her a cup of tea and was grateful he sat with her until she felt strong enough to get up the stairs and to sleep.

Sami had four kids to look after that week. She didn't have time to breakdown. She didn't have time to think.

'_And I couldn't,'_ Sami knew. _'I couldn't do it without Will there to help me, Will and Alex.'_

Sami had never really had that many friends in her life. Whenever she gained one inevitably something would happen that would hurt her in the end. Will had done his fair share of that as well but Sami knew things were different now. Her relationship with Will was different.

'_I couldn't even begin to deal with this without him,'_ Sami shook her head. She looked back over at the picture with EJ in it and traced him with her finger.

'_How am I supposed to do this?' _Sami thought. _'How am I supposed to deal with this?'_

Sami started sniffling. She had refused to think about any of what Chad told her until Will was here but now that he was she didn't know what to do.

"Mama?" Will asked again in a cautious tone. He hadn't seen her cry anything but happy tears in a long time.

"Can you get Alex?" Sami as she covered her face with her hands. "I need you both to hear this," Sami explained.

* * *

Alex lied down next to Will on Sami's bed, "I've got a lot of dirty jokes going through my head but I'll refrain from saying any."

Sami chuckled wetly as she turned and rested her head on Will's bicep, "Will, smack him for me."

Will lightly hit Alex on the chest.

"I didn't say any, woman," Alex exaggeratingly huffed. He wasn't very comfortable with crying.

'_Especially not Sami,'_ Alex thought. She was always a pillar of strength for Will and himself. It felt wrong somehow to see her breaking open. However, after their moments together at the ceremony Alex felt a bit honored that she was letting him in. That Sami wanted Alex there just as much as she wanted Will.

"Chad told me something after you two left for the airport on Friday," Sami told them smiling appreciatively at Alex's antics.

"What did he say?" Will assumed that must have been why Chad called him so often while they were gone.

Sami took a deep breath, "He explained that Stefano had a health scare. He was in the hospital for a time. While he was there Chad started going through a few things, insurance papers, and things like that in case anything were to go wrong."

"OK," Will nodded as he found Alex's hand and squeezed it.

"And he found a few other things that he didn't quite understand at first," Sami continued as a few tears slipped from her eyes.

"What were they?" Alex questioned. He didn't know Chad DiMera very well yet but he knew the kid wasn't dumb enough to get on Sami's bad side.

"Paperwork, bills, some doctor mumbo jumbo," Sami told them. "I have them in a file over there," Sami gestured toward a desk in her room.

"Why does that have to do with you?" Will needed to know.

Will loved his siblings and he loved Chad and despite everything he had loved EJ too but he thought his mother was done dealing with DiMera's. He thought she was pulled out of that cycle.

"Because it was about EJ," Sami whispered.

"Uh," Alex didn't mean to be insensitive but he felt it needed to be pointed out, "Isn't he dead?"

"I don't know," Sami admitted.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Will demanded. "There was a funeral and, and you told me about being in the morgue. How do you not know now?"

"The paperwork," Sami started crying harder, "It had something to do with experimental procedures and I don't know how it works. B-But it might be him."

"What might be him?" Alex asked apprehensively.

"Chad followed the paper trail," Sami confessed, "And it let him to a doctor oversees. Chad found him."

"The doctor?" Alex questioned.

'_Oh god,'_ Will thought finally getting why his mom was so upset, so panicked.

"He found EJ?" Will whispered almost afraid to say it out loud.

Sami nodded before sobbing openly.

"He thinks so," Sami got out.

"OK," Will pulled his mom closer against him. "OK, what do we need to do?"

"Chad brought him here," Sami told Will with her eyes closed tightly trying to hold her tears at bay.

"Here as in California?" Alex asked. Seeing Sami nod, he exhaled loudly, "So you have to decide if you want to see your thought to be dead husband. That's normal."

"If you grew up in Salem it would be," Will said flashing back to all the times members of his family were supposed to be dead and weren't.

"I don't know what to do," Sami admitted wetly. "Tell me what to do."

Will and Alex glanced at each other quickly, trying to figure out what to tell her.

"Do you love him?" Alex finally asked Sami.

"Y-yes," Sami confessed, lips trembling.

"Did EJ have anything to do with this?" Will wondered. He wouldn't put it past EJ to sign up for some medical experimentation as a backup plan. He also wouldn't put it past EJ to keep it a secret from Sami.

"Chad doesn't think so," Sami told them. "Chad said EJ was very confused about everything and-,"

"…And what?" Alex knew it probably was something personal but he figured they were all past that.

"That he kept asking for me," Sami revealed.

"Do you want to see him?" Will asked her.

"I want to see my EJ," Sami explained, not sure if she was making sense or not, "But I don't know who this could be. What if they did something to him and he's not himself anymore? What if he's different? Or it's not even him, just a cruel trick Stefano was cooking up."

"We're not gonna know that until we find out," Will reminded her. "Maybe it's not him, maybe it is. But I think you owe it to yourself to find out."

"What do we tell the kids?" Sami felt more tears dripping down her face. "They've barely accepted that he's gone. How can I explain that he's alive?"

"We're not telling them anything until we have to," Alex decided. "We're not going to confuse them or hurt them."

"Alex is right," Will agreed. "We need to do what's best for our family no matter what."

"What is that?" Sami asked helplessly.

"We'll have to figure it out together," Will put his hand on the back of her head and held her close.

"You didn't think we were gonna let you do this alone, did you?" Alex laughed. "Please, woman."

Sami choked out a laugh before shaking her head and crying again.

"Leave it to EJ to come back just as soon as I decide to date," Sami wiped under her eyes. "Awful timing as always."

Alex bit his lip before saying, "You fucked my brother and a few hours later your zombie husband came back. That's some kind of talent."

Will rolled his eyes, "Thanks for reminding me of that torment."

"I had a new mattress delivered to your place the other day," Sami placated as she rubbed against Will's stomach.

"EJ is going to be so jealous he's not the only guy I've seen have sex with you," Will teased trying to make his mom smile.

"Can that be what we tell him first?" Alex asked. "I think it would really break the ice."

Sami chuckled before pulling Will into a big hug, "Thank you."

"Of course," Will promised. "You've always been there for us. Besides, you said it earlier," Will reached out for the picture of them all, "This is our family now."

Alex nodded as he reached over Will and rubbed up and down Sami's arm.

"What do we have to do?" Will asked his mom.

"Call Chad," Sami said as she sat up and took the picture back. "He has all the information."

Will sat up as well and dug into his pants to pull out his phone, "OK."

As the phone started dialing Will glanced at the picture of EJ and said teasingly, "Alex, what are you going to do if you aren't the tallest, cockiest or handsomest in the family?"

"Don't even joke about shit like that," Alex ordered as he crossed his arms.

* * *

Later that night, finally home and in their own bed, Will and Alex lay wrapped in each other's embrace.

"This has gotta be driving Sami crazy," Alex commented.

"Well," Will mused as he linked his hand with Alex's, admiring their matching rings, "EJ always knew how to hurt her best. But after each time he also managed to find a way to stitch her back together. I suppose even in death he'd find a way."

"If I died," Alex told Will, "The minute you'd have sex with someone else is when I'd come back to haunt you."

"Oh geez," Will huffed.

"It's true," Alex nodded sagely. Getting serious again Alex said, "I guess it's kind of nice though. That somehow mom might get her happy ending after all."

Will smiled, choosing not to comment on the fact that Alex called her mom, "Yeah. I just really hope this doesn't hurt anyone in the end."

"She's strong," Alex reminded Will. "The kids are strong. And they all have us. We won't let anything or anyone hurt them."

"I used to talk to her about EJ a lot when I first started seeing you," Will confessed.

"Oh yeah?" Alex straightened his fingers against Will's. He enjoyed that his hands were bigger than Will's.

"Yep," Will nodded. "I was so afraid I was going to ruin everything with you. That's how my mom and I got really close. We'd lie together late at night and talk about everything."

* * *

"_Does he make you happy?" Sami asked as she let Will settle against her chest. She was really beginning to love these moments. Ever since Will had started dating again he had let her in in a way he never had before. _

"_Yes," Will answered easily as he rested his head on his mother's breast. There was something comforting about being surrounded by her scent and her arms. It was something he hadn't experienced with her in so long he had forgotten how much he loved it. There was something so familiar about his mother's embrace._

_When he was younger she would always hold him close whenever he was sad or sick. Back when he was too young to be so angry and resentful. _

'Why did I waste so many years of my life blaming my mother for everything?'_ Will often wondered. _'Why did I blame her for things even when it wasn't entirely her fault?'

_Being accused of turning into his mother and finding himself in her shoes had taught him a lot of humility and appreciation for how rough her life had been. _

"_Then you shouldn't worry," Sami held Will tightly against her. She could hardly believe that they were here now. That Will wanted her here. _

'God, I missed this, missed him,'_ Sami thought. _'I haven't had this Will in so, so long.'

_Will bit his lip, "I'm afraid I'm going to ruin everything." _

"_You need to stop that," Sami ordered as she patted his back in the same way she would when he was a small child. "Thinking like that is just going to cloud your head. Just let yourself be happy." _

"_I want to," Will told her, "I want to so bad but I'm afraid. I ruined everything with __**him**__. I threw it all away. I don't want to do that with Alex." _

"_You made some awful mistakes," Sami nodded, "But not everything was your fault." _

"_I cheated on him twice, Mom," Will reminded her rudely. "I did an awful job of blackmailing and manipulating and lying to pretty much everyone." _

"_Where do you think you learned that?" Sami shot back. "Hmm? Did you just pull that out of your ass?" _

"_I didn't have to do anything," Will argued._

"_No, you didn't. You made those choices," Sami consoled. "But you've also never seen a normal relationship. Everyone in your life parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends," Sami said, "They've all lied and cheated. You have not seen a single healthy relationship." _

"_That doesn't mean I don't know how they work," Will didn't want to argue._

"_It also explains why your first reaction to finding out about __**his**__ past with that baseball guy was to do something like what I would do," Sami continued patting Will's back. "It doesn't make it right and it doesn't make it any less of your fault but it makes sense. You've been through a lot and you've seen a lot." _

"_I don't want to blame anyone else for my mistakes," Will told her. "It was my fault." _

"_What you did was your fault," Sami nodded, "What everyone else did after was their fault." _

"_And I know," Sami continued, "That a lot of people in that town only see you as my son. They see you and think you'll be exactly like me. That's their fault though, not yours."_

"_It's not so bad," Will said quietly, "Being like you." _

"_Thank you," Sami smiled briefly, "But you know what I mean. Almost everyone in that town has done something awful and yet they want to crucify only a few for doing the same thing." _

"_I'm still afraid it will happen again," Will confessed. "I want to be with Alex and he makes me happy. Happier than I've been in so long. But what if I do it again?" _

"_Do what again?" Sami asked wanting to understand everything Will was thinking. _

"_What if I cheat on him too?" Will leaned up on his elbow and looked at her face. "What if I hurt Alex too?" _

"_I don't think you're going to do that," Sami lifted up her hand and touched Will's warm cheek. _

"_How do you know?" Will could feel tears in his eyes._

"_You love him," Sami rubbed against Will's cheek. "You love him in a way you didn't with __**him**__. And I think if something like that happened with Alex he would try to find a way to understand." _

"_But," Sami added, "If you ever feel like you're going to make that decision or do something stupid you know you can talk to me about it, about anything." _

"_Whenever I do something stupid," Will told her as he leaned against her palm, "I hardly have a chance to think. I just do it and I don't know why. It's like I have no impulse control." _

"_You do," Sami urged. "You do have control now. I've seen how different you are since you moved in. You wouldn't do any of things you did in Salem here." _

"_I hope not," Will said before laying his head back on her chest. After a few moments Will asked her, "Did you really forgive EJ for what he did before he died?" _

_Sami closed her eyes. She hated thinking about that almost more than she hated thinking about EJ dying. At least EJ dying was a tragic accident, out of her control. She still felt sometimes that EJ cheating on her was her fault. That if only she had shown him how much she still wanted him it wouldn't have happened. _

"_I like to think that I did," Sami told Will as honestly as she could. "I wanted to forgive him but it doesn't mean it still didn't hurt." _

_Will nodded. Thinking on everything now he was horrified by his own actions back then. His mother was breaking apart and he helped pull a few more pieces with his article. _

"_I never wanted to hurt you," Will said as he turned his face into her skin. "I'm so, so sorry that I did."_

"_I know," Sami explained. "It's different when you hurt me anyway. You and your brother and sisters are the only people in the entire world that could do anything and I'd still love them." _

"_I just wanted you to stop before you hurt even worse," Will tried to explain. "I knew you would have kept going and going until there was nothing left of you. I tried so hard but it was the wrong choice. I always do the wrong thing even when I try." _

"_It's OK," Sami assured him. "It's nothing I haven't had to deal with before." _

"_You shouldn't have to deal with it at all," Will said angrily. "You were the one who were betrayed and no one was on your side. You didn't deserve that." _

"_And what did I do after that?" Sami asked with a deep sigh. _

"_What did anyone expect you to do?" Will argued. "Be someone you're not?"_

"_Well whatever I do is what everyone expected you to do," Sami shrugged. "You can't change people's minds, Will. And quite frankly I don't want you to." _

"_I don't either," Will decided. "I don't want to deal with any of those people again." _

_Sami didn't know if she should be proud of that statement or profoundly sad. _

"…_If EJ hadn't have died," Will asked after a few moments. "Would you still want to be with him?" _

"_Yeah," Sami admitted, "Not that it matters now. Just," Sami held Will close, "Don't try to ruin your relationship with Alex before it even starts, baby." _

"_I'll try not to," Will agreed._

* * *

"This is kind of weird," Chad told Will as Will welcomed him into his home early the next morning.

"When you think about it," Will said casually, "A DiMera coming back from the dead isn't that surprising."

Chad chuckled, "That's true. Maybe we've all got radioactive genes."

"Family of supervillains," Will gave Chad a smirk.

"Something like that," Chad rolled his eyes.

"So tell me," Will said as he gestured for Chad to sit at the table.

"Where are Ari and Alex?" Chad asked first.

"Alex is taking Ari to school," Will told Chad as he picked up a pot of coffee. "Want any?"

"Sure," Chad nodded before saying, "I should probably wait for Alex don't you think."

"Just tell me if EJ was a part of this," Will begged. "Just let me know that much."

"I don't think so," Chad shook his head. "He doesn't sound like it but you or Sami would be better able to tell than me I think."

"It's really him?" Will asked.

"If it's not than he is damn good," Chad said.

"Let's not be too quick to forget that time EJ hired a fake Rafe to infiltrate his family because he was jealous," Will reminded Chad.

"That Tony, Andre situation was pretty bizarre too," Chad remembered. He still wasn't sure he understood the entirety of his family history_. 'I don't think I want to either.'_

Alex came in the door a few moments later.

He nodded at Chad and kissed the top of Will's head before sitting down, "So, what did I miss?"

"Nothing much," Will poured three cups of coffee, "Just trying to make sure that it's really EJ."

"It better be," Alex said. "I ain't dealing with this bullshit for nothing."

"What does Sami want to do?" Chad wondered. "I tried to talk to her last Friday after you left but I have no idea how to talk to her."

Will, narrowing his eyes, suspecting there was an insult in there said, "Watch it."

"Hey," Chad lifted his hands up innocently before wrapping them around the mug, "I'm just saying."

"Well don't," Alex grunted.

"Got it," Chad nodded. _'Overprotective much?'_

"Mom wants to check it out," Will revealed. "How soon can we do it?"

"I've got him stashed away a few miles from here," Chad confirmed. "Whenever you guys want to do this."

"I'll call mom," Will said as he stood up.

* * *

"The Beverly Hills Hotel?" Will asked Chad as the two of them plus Alex and Sami walked into the lobby. "Could you have picked a more ostentatious place?"

"Did you think EJ would stay anywhere else?" Chad asked rhetorically.

Sami winced slightly hearing his name.

Will grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze, "You OK?"

"I don't know," Sami admitted. She had been very quiet ever since they picked her up. She made the kids breakfast and took them to school. Then she stared in her closet for thirty minutes trying to find something to wear.

'_How do you pick something to meet your dead husband again?'_ Sami asked herself constantly.

"You look nice," Will told her gently.

"What do we do now?" Chad asked.

Sami looked up at the grand staircase in front of them. That's all that was separating her from EJ now, stairs. Before it used to be their own egos, hurts even death.

'_Now it's just stairs,'_ Sami thought sadly_. 'Just a few steps and everything can change.'_

"I don't know if I can do this," Sami whispered. "I-I don't know."

Alex linked his arm with Sami's, "How about you, Chad and I go get something to drink and Will goes upstairs?"

Sami looked from Alex to Will and nodded.

Chad handed over a room key and patted Will on the back, "Good luck."

Sami reached out and grabbed Will's face, "Just tell me if it's him. OK? Just, just tell me either way. You'll be able to tell. I know you will. OK, I know you will."

"Relax," Will smiled as he nodded. "I'll tell you everything. You know that."

"Right," Sami let Alex pull her back again, "Right."

"Come on," Alex urged, "Let's go see who can handle the most vodka in the morning."

"There's an afternoon tea," Chad said as he moved over to them.

Sami and Alex both gave Chad the same scathing looks.

"Never mind," Chad laughed.

Alex caught Will's eyes, "If you need me I'll come up."

"I know," Will nodded before turning to the stairs.

'_Fourth floor, here I come,'_ Will thought before taking off.

Will stopped in front of a large door and waited a few seconds deciding what to do.

'_Do I really want to do this?'_ Will thought as he chewed his bottom lip.

He thought back to how miserable his mother was after EJ died. How hard all his siblings took it. Then Will recalled all the times his mom and EJ had fought and broken up, all the truly terrible things they had done to each other. Exactly how his mother felt when she found out what EJ had done with Abigail.

Will didn't want his mom to go back to that type of person. Without EJ and without Salem his mom was so much better. She wasn't any of the awful things everyone thought but he also knew EJ brought out both the best and the worst in his mom. Will had to be sure that everyone would be able to handle what could come from this.

But Will knew he owed it to his mom and his siblings to try. So, he lifted his first and knocked before using the room key.

Will opened the door and slowly walked inside. At first he didn't see anything but the expensive furniture of an extravagant suite. He saw the remnants of breakfast sitting on a table near a kitchen.

Will heard footsteps behind him but did not turn around. He was too nervous to turn around.

"Chad did you talk to…" the distinctive British accent of EJ DiMera trailed off as he saw the familiar blonde head in front of him.

"William?" EJ questioned as he took a cautious step forward.

Will turned around slowly and inhaled seeing EJ alive_. 'Or at least someone that looks like EJ,'_ Will had to remind himself to be suspicious.

EJ blinked several times before taking the last few steps toward William and hugging him tightly.

Will let out a puff of breath as EJ crushed him. Will hadn't remembered to lift his chin up so he ended up with his head squashed on EJ's chest.

"Were you always this tall?" Will wondered before wincing. _'Of all the things to say to EJ DiMera that's what I went with?'_

"Oh how I missed your useless comments," EJ muttered while chuckling.

Will frowned, that old feeling of never knowing if he was being insulted or compliment washed over him.

Will closed his eyes and enjoyed the hug for a moment. He hadn't really realized until this exact moment how much he missed EJ.

"How are you here?" EJ asked once they finally separated. He pushed Will towards the couch and sat next to him. "Did, did you just get here?"

"Did I just get where?" Will shook his head.

"In California," EJ clarified. "Did you come to be with Samantha?"

Will could hear the way EJ's voice practically caressed his mother's name. However, he remembered one tiny problem.

'_EJ has no idea about anything that's happened while he's been gone,' _Will realized. Chad had mentioned that he hadn't told EJ much of anything just to be safe. Will wasn't sure if he should reveal any information to EJ or not, at least not until he found out the truth of the matter.

"I'm here now because of my mom," Will told EJ which was technically the truth.

"Is she here?" EJ sat up straighter.

Will didn't answer his question. Instead he looked over EJ.

EJ must not have shaved in a while and Will noticed there were more gray hairs in his facial hair than there were before. EJ was still handsome. He looked almost exactly the way Will remembered. _'Except he seems older than I remembered, weary.'_

'_But appearances can be deceiving,'_ Will knew well enough.

EJ, realizing what William was doing, sat still and took the opportunity to examine Will as well.

EJ noticed William carried himself different now. His shoulders were down and relaxed, his posture straight.

'_He even looks tanner than I remember,'_ EJ recalled. Ever since he had woken up, wherever it was he was being kept, EJ had tried to remember everything he could about everyone he cared about. _'What has William been doing with himself since I've been gone? What have they all been doing?' _

Will finally caught EJ's eyes. In all the years Will had known EJ he never could figure out if his eyes were brown or hazel. _'I should have asked my mom,'_ Will figured. _'She would know.'_

Will tried to find something in EJ's eyes that would tell him if it was the right person. Any tiny little tell.

"Are you going to ask me any questions?" EJ wondered as he held Will's gaze. They were so close to the blue eyes he had been dreaming about ever since he woke up.

"How are you alive?" Will asked the most obvious question he could think.

"I don't know," EJ shook his head, "I remember talking to your mother and saying goodbye then waking up a few weeks ago."

"I read the files Chad brought," Will said, "Experimental something or other that someone injected you with. As far as I understood you weren't really dead just in some type of coma. I don't know."

Will looked at his knees briefly before looking back up at EJ, "I meant how do I know you're alive? You?"

"Me?" EJ furrowed his brows.

"How do I know it's really you?" Will looked him over.

"Ask me anything, anything only I would know," EJ demanded. "We've been through enough together. Test me."

Will nodded before asking the first thing that came to his mind, "Who did I see you with when Johnny was missing?"

EJ gave Will a half smile, one side of his mouth lifting upward, "Samantha. Do you want me to tell you doing what?"

"No thanks," Will said quickly, "I had a reminder."

EJ's smile dropped, "What does that mean?"

"What did you make me steal when I was your intern?" Will quickly ignored EJ's question.

"Abe Carver's mayoral plans," EJ chuckled. "And don't even pretend you didn't have fun doing that. I know you did."

Will pouted slightly.

"Don't be sour," EJ wanted to pat William on the back but wasn't sure if he should.

"What grade did my mom ground me for when I was in high school and we were all living together in the mansion?" Will asked on a whim.

EJ had to take a few moments before he remembered, "You got a D in your math class and I caught my father trying to put ideas into your head."

"Those are all things anyone probably could have found out," Will dismissed. _'Stefano knew that. He could have fed it to any lookalike.'_

"Then ask me something private, something only I would know." EJ urged.

Will tried to wrack his brain. He had spent so much time with EJ over the years but he needed something only the two of them would know. Something that was private and personal yet was from a small moment. Nothing major, just important to Will

"OK," Will nodded. "Before I came out I was at the mansion and you and I talked for a long time. What did we talk about?"

Will knew that was pretty vague but if it really was EJ he would know what Will was talking about.

EJ nodded, "I remember."

"_Why exactly am I here?" Will asked as he followed EJ into the front room in the mansion._

"_I heard around that you went out the other night," EJ said as he made himself and William a drink._

_Will took the glass and felt his face heating up. "How do you even know that?" _

'Why do you even know that?'_ Will thought._

"_That's not important," EJ insisted. "I just want to hear how the evening went."_

_Will pressed his lips together. He knew he could trust EJ to not blab his secret to everyone. EJ's known Will was gay for longer than Will even knew. _

"_We went to a club," Will admitted. He didn't realize how nice it was to talk about it until it was happening. He wanted to talk to Sonny about it but he wasn't sure if he could. _

"_Did you dance?" EJ smiled as William relaxed against the couch and listened. He knew there were very few people in young William's life that just listened._

_Will nodded shyly, "Yeah." _

"_With your date?" EJ wondered. _

"_It wasn't a date," Will argued. "We went as friends. But yeah, we danced."_

"_Did you do more than dance?" EJ asked teasingly. _

"_No!" Will spat out. _

_EJ lifted one eyebrow, "I think that was a little too quick to be taken seriously."_

"_We just danced," Will said. _

"_Oh, is that what it's called?" EJ laughed when William sputtered about indignantly. _

"_Relax," EJ patted William on the back. "I just wanted to hear how it went." _

"_Why do you even care?" Will wondered. _

"_Someone has to," EJ shrugged. "I just wanted to make sure that you know it is perfectly fine for you to go out. You should go out and experiment, have fun. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks." _

_Surprisingly touched, Will nodded, "Thanks."_

"_Of course," EJ patted William harshly on the back before clinking his glass against William's. "Now, bottom's up."_

Will nodded once EJ finished talking. He knew all the details but Will needed to be absolutely positive it was EJ. He wasn't letting his mother near him otherwise. _'What would EJ have that no one else would?' _

"Take off your shirt," Will demanded suddenly.

EJ lifted his eyebrows in surprise, "Beg pardon?"

"Off," Will repeated giving EJ an expectant look.

"I can't say this is a surprise," EJ admitted as he stood up and pulled off his basic black t-shirt.

Will rolled his eyes, "Just do it."

As soon as his shirt was off Will's eyes instantly dragged to EJ's most recent gunshot wound. Will knew from experience that scar had to be real. _'It's in the right spot too,'_ Will knew.

Will stood up and touched the scar briefly, just to make sure it was really there, "How did you get this?"

"Allegedly the one that killed me," EJ told Will.

"Turn around," Will ordered.

EJ, following the instruction, said, "Not bad for being sedentary for a few years, right?"

Will hummed in agreement; EJ did look remarkably similar to how he did before he died. A bit skinnier, abs not as defined but still surprisingly fit. As soon as EJ turned around Will saw the mark he left when he was younger.

"This?" Will brushed his fingertip along the spot.

"What the police believe or what really happened?" EJ mused.

"The truth," Will whispered. He was getting the feeling this might actually be EJ.

"You were a remarkably angry child," EJ told Will before turning back around. Without being asked EJ sat back down on the couch and bent his head forward.

Will ran his fingers through EJ's hair until he found the scar tissue from where his head was cut open after he was shot.

'_By my mother,'_ Will shook his head. _'God, this is a mess. Do I really want her to get her involved in all of this again?'_

"Do I really have to tell you about this one?" EJ asked. "I like to pretend that didn't happen."

"Do you like to pretend a lot of what happened with my mother didn't happen?" Will demanded.

"No," EJ tried to explain. "I remember everything good and bad. I'd just rather think about the good moments than dwell on the moments when your mother hated me."

Will let go of EJ's head and looked down at him, "She doesn't hate you now."

Will picked up EJ's t-shirt and tossed it towards EJ so he wouldn't have to see the grateful look on his face.

"Good idea," EJ cleared his throat. "Wouldn't want your husband getting any ideas about this."

Will laughed and covered his eyes with his left hand, "God, you have no idea."

EJ looked at William's hand curiously and pulled it closer once his shirt was back on. Glancing at the ring on William's finger EJ remarked, "This is not the same ring you had before."

Will looked into EJ's eyes and said, "I don't have the same husband I had before."

EJ's eyes widened in surprise as his mouth dropped open. _'How much have I missed?'_

* * *

"How was the honeymoon?" Chad questioned as the three of them sat down at a swanky bar in the hotel.

"I had five days and four nights on a private island with Will, a camera and a bottle of sunscreen," Alex replied. "Life is good," he lifted up his cocktail and saluted himself.

Chad nodded and tried not to frown. It was a bit startling being around Alex. He was so different from Sonny. Chad had slowly been getting to know Joey and Vic as well but they were much easier to handle than Alex.

"A simple good would have been sufficient," Sami told Alex dryly.

"You fucked my brother," Alex shrugged, "You get to hear about how I made sure your son couldn't walk on Tuesday."

Chad waved the bartender over and ordered a shot. "I'm gonna need to burn that from my memory," Chad explained when he saw Alex's amused expression.

Sami told Chad, "You're going to need to develop thicker skin if you're planning on sticking around."

"Anyway," Alex changed the subject and looked at Sami, "What about you? Tough week?"

Sami snorted, "You wanna try taking care of those four by yourself for almost a week."

"No thanks," Alex immediately said. "Love them but I would go crazy."

Chad was listening to them talk. He knew that Will and Alex were close with Sami but seeing it in person, hearing them talk about their kids and their lives, was something different. Ever since his father had his health scare a few weeks ago Chad had realized he wanted to get to know his family.

Sometimes Chad would focus on all the people he lost, all the time he lost not knowing who he really was. Being stuck in Salem with nothing but his father the past year or two had left him thinking that he was alone. For whatever reason he always seemed to forget that he hadn't lost everyone in his family.

'_And now with EJ potentially back I am determined to keep everyone close. No more wasting time that could be spent on my family,'_ Chad reminded himself.

"So you really didn't think about that," Alex looked up at the ceiling, "All week?"

"I did everything I could to not think about it," Sami admitted as she stirred her martini olive around her cocktail glass.

"Why?" Alex frowned.

"Because it's a lot to think about," Sami rolled her eyes. "And I knew if I thought about it all it would consume me and I would be a total mess without you and Will there to help me."

"I knew it," Alex leaned back in his seat, "You can live without us."

"I'm beginning to think I can't," Sami confessed before saying, "And it's really getting on my nerves."

Chad noticed how pleased Alex looked at that.

Alex nodded before turning to Chad, "What can you tell us about the zombie?"

"It seems like EJ," Chad explained as best he could. "But he doesn't really know anything that's happened from the time he left Salem until I woke him up."

"Woke him up?" Sami asked. "What do you mean you woke him up?"

"Well," Chad sighed, "I got to the clinic and I talked to the doctor. He showed me EJ and he just looked like he was asleep. The doctor said he was in a medically induced coma. I asked if it was safe to wake him up so he did."

"Then what happened?" Alex questioned. He had never really been involved in that many Salem problems but he was thinking he was getting the hang of it.

"Injected his IV with something and about a day later he woke up," Chad told them. "He was really out of it for the first few days. Just would mumble your name," Chad looked at Sami, "And asked where he was and when he could get to you."

"Eventually," Chad stated, "He was up walking around and fully functional so I shoved him on a jet and brought him straight here. It just so happened that you and Will were getting hitched."

"Sort of hitched," Alex interjected.

"EJ's been driving me nuts this whole time asking questions I wasn't going to answer," Chad complained. "I didn't want to tell him anything that was unnecessary. But I think now that Will's up there he's going to relax a bit. If it's really him."

"I guess we'll see," Alex replied.

"There's just one more thing," Chad said, "Uh, my father, he doesn't exactly know I took EJ."

Sami stared at Chad a few moments before sighing and leaning her elbow on the bar, "Well, we've got that to look forward to."

"What's the likelihood of EJ staying away from Salem now that he's back?" Alex wondered. He didn't know EJ at all but from what he did know that might not be possible.

Sami covered her face with her hand. That was going to be something haunting her throughout all this.

* * *

"How are you not with Jackson?" EJ demanded having no idea how this could have happened.

Will almost felt sorry for EJ, he looked so lost.

"Things happen," Will said evasively not entirely willing to give EJ anymore than that.

"Things that include you managing to get divorced and remarried," EJ mumbled. "How could that have happened so fast?"

"If it makes you feel any better," Will revealed reluctantly, "I just got back from my honeymoon yesterday."

"What?" EJ frowned, forehead wrinkling.

"Chad was there last Friday," Will nodded. "And for the record we didn't get married."

'_I am not letting EJ in on that secret,'_ Will promised himself. _'No one gets to know that.'_

EJ was beyond lost. _'If William was able to move on what could have happened with Samantha?'_

"Is it someone that I know at least?" EJ wondered while shaking his head.

"No," Will insisted. "You don't know him."

"Is he from Salem?" EJ continued almost desperately. It was almost as if EJ needed to know everything he could about William. That if he knew about William he could know about what has been happening with Samantha and his children.

"In a way," Will replied.

"What about your daughter, Arianna? Where is she?" EJ was having a hard time reconciling everything. It was one thing to know theoretically that so much time had passed and another for it to be right in front of his face.

"She's at school," Will said calmly, "Preschool."

"In Salem?" EJ could feel everything crashing in around him. _'She was just a baby, just a tiny little thing. My babies aren't babies anymore either are they?'_

"No, EJ," Will shook his head. "None of us are in Salem anymore."

Will looked over EJ's slumped shoulders and labored breaths, "Is that going to be a problem?"

EJ stared at the floor for a few moments, "All I want is my family. I don't care where it is or what I have to do. I just want to be with them."

Will sat back down next to EJ on the couch, "Do you love my mom?"

"Yes," EJ answered instantly. "Yes, I don't care what I have to do I just want her. I want Samantha an-and all of our children. Whatever I have to do to prove that it's me and to prove that I'm serious, I'll do it. Even if it takes forever that's all I want."

"Just don't hurt my family again," Will requested as he put his hand on EJ's back.

"I don't think there's a single thing I could possibly do to them that I haven't already done before," EJ whispered.

"You'd think that," Will said, "But seeing as how it's coming from you I'm gonna assume you'd find a way."

EJ made a small sound in the back of his throat.

"You kidnapped my mom to steal stem cells," Will pointed out. "Don't even try to be offended by that."

"How do you even know about that?" EJ didn't think William knew that before.

"I know everything," Will patted EJ's back. "My mom and I are very close now."

"Everything?" EJ repeated.

"You'll see," Will smiled slightly.

"I've missed so much," EJ sighed.

Will nodded in agreement before getting his phone and sending a message to Alex.

Will was fairly certain he was dealing with the real EJ DiMera. He just needed Alex to reassure him that his mother could handle it.

EJ looked over at William's phone and saw a picture of a blonde haired, blue eyed little girl as a background.

"That's Arianna?" EJ asked softly.

"Yep," Will nodded. "That's my baby."

"She looks happy," EJ commented.

"She is now," Will said. "She wasn't for a long time."

"What about the rest of them?" EJ took a chance. "Is everyone else happy?"

Will read over the message Alex sent him before sending a reply.

Will glanced over at EJ before finding a picture he took last week on Thanksgiving. He handed it over to EJ, "Here."

EJ inhaled sharply when he saw the photo. Four children squished together on one couch, two blondes and two brunettes.

'_Johnny, Allie, Sydney and Arianna,'_ EJ thought as a large smile spread across his face.

"They're so big," EJ said as his lips started trembling.

Looking at their bright, beaming faces EJ knew they were OK. He knew they were happy.

"What about your mother? Is she-is she happy too?" EJ questioned. "Are they all happy?"

"She's getting there," Will admitted. "All of her kids are happy. Her granddaughters happy. She, uh, she thinks of Alex as her son too."

"Is that your new man?" EJ asked.

"Yes," Will explained. "He's got mommy issues. Mom likes knowing she has one up on Adrienne. They're good for each other."

"Adrienne?" EJ blinked rapidly.

"Uh, yeah," Will chuckled. "That's his stepmom."

"Adrienne Kiriakis is his stepmom?" EJ continued staring at William's phone.

"Technically she's my stepmom now," Will knew he was giving EJ too much too quick. "Alex's father is Justin."

"You married Jackson's brother?" EJ said flatly. "Lucas is married to Adrienne?"

"…Yeah," Will admitted.

"Are you happy?" EJ wondered.

"Yes," Will answered decisively.

"What about Samantha? Chad would never answer me. Is she, is she with someone else too?" EJ shook his head. "Never mind, I don't want to know right now. I don't want to give that up yet."

Will let EJ have a few moments to himself to take it all in.

"If I come back will I be screwing everything up?" EJ whispered finally, making sure the screen on Will's phone never went black. "Will I just ruin a happy family?"

"I don't know," Will answered honestly. "Things are different now. We're all different and life has kept moving without you. Things aren't going to be the same as they once were. Maybe they'll be better, maybe they'll be worse. But my mom is willing to find that out."

EJ finally turned away from the picture and stared at William.

"Are you willing too?" Will needed to know. His mom, Alex and Chad were on their way up. Will had to know before it was too late to go back.

EJ nodded carefully, "Yes, yes."

"OK," Will said. "She's going to be here any minute."

"Right now?" EJ stood up and started pacing. He didn't know why he was so nervous, so jittery. This is what he had been waiting for. He had been holed up in this suite for a week for this moment.

"Yeah," Will almost smiled seeing EJ anxiously pull at his clothes, smoothing out imaginary wrinkles. It felt reassuring to see EJ not quite so smooth and calm. It made him seem human.

_Knock Knock Knock_

* * *

Alex felt his phone buzzing in his pocket and pulled it out.

"Will wants to know if you'll go up?" Alex looked at Sami curiously.

Sami licked her lips several times and patted at her hair. "Y-yes," she finally said. "OK."

As everyone went to stand up Sami called, "Wait."

"What is it?" Alex wondered.

"Do I look OK?" Sami asked nervously.

"Hmm," Alex looked her up and down several times. "My brother wouldn't be able to keep his hands off of you."

"Shut up," Sami grabbed her small handbag and whacked him with it several times.

Alex, trying to fend off her blows, laughed.

When they all started heading for the stairs Chad caught Alex's eye and smiled. Chad appreciated that Alex was able to distract Sami from her concerns with just a few words. Chad thought he was beginning to understand Alex in a way he didn't initially.

"All you have to do is knock," Chad told Sami as they stood outside the suit.

"I've never loved or hated anyone as much as I have EJ," Sami said to both of them. "Then one minute he was gone. All those years I wasted when I could have been with him. And now just as quickly he could be back in my life and I don't know what to do."

"All you need to do," Alex encouraged, "Is knock and see what happens. But you're never gonna know unless you do it."

Sami adjusted her dress and licked her lips one last time before she lifted up her fist and knocked three times.

* * *

Will caught EJ's eye and asked, "Do you want to get it or me?"

"Me," EJ said as he rushed for the door and swung it open.

EJ couldn't see anyone in front of him but Samantha. The world could have been burning right in front of his face and he wouldn't have seen. After thinking he would never see her again, there she was. The same blonde hair and blue eyes. The same skin and the same curves and the same everything.

EJ didn't care how many years had passed since they had been together. He told her something once. It was true then and it was still true now. She was everything.

Sami held her breath and kept her tears at bay.

'_EJ,'_ she thought desperately as several emotions slipped under her skin and found a home.

"Samantha," EJ gasped in a low tone. He wanted to reach out and touch her so badly. He was so close.

Sami opened her mouth to say something but nothing would come out. Instead she did the only thing she could think of.

Before Will, Alex or Chad could say anything Sami lifted her hand and cracked EJ across the face with all her strength.

"You asshole," Sami declared before shoving him aside and marching into the suite.

* * *

Author's note:

Hmm, things are taking an interesting turn in this story now.

Please let me know what you thought.

Thanks for reading!

Thank you to iluvh0rs3s for your insight and help!

Also, thank you to all unregistered reviewers that I don't get to thank personally. I truly appreciate each and every one of you.


	16. Chapter 16

"_Sign here," the lawyer pointed to the certificate as she waited for Will and Alex to follow her request. "I'll sign here," she said as she squiggled her signature._

_Nodding at the county clerk as he left the room she announced, "Congratulations you're officially married." _

"_That was pretty anticlimactic," Alex told Will as they walked out of the office, all necessary papers signed and everything taken care of. _

"_Well," Will grabbed his hand as they went to wait for an elevator, "It didn't have to be in our lawyer's office, kind of killed the romance."_

"_I wasn't trying to be romantic," Alex admitted. "I was being practical."_

_Stepping into the elevator, Will waited until the doors closed before pressing Alex into the wall, "Admit it a teeny tiny part of you felt your heart skip a beat when she said we were married." _

_Alex wrapped his arms around Will and gave him a blank look, "I admit to nothing."_

"_It did," Will rubbed his nose behind Alex's ear, "You got that look in your eyes."_

"_What look?" Alex pressed his hands up and down Will's sides. "I don't have a look."_

"_You're ridiculous," Will chuckled. "You give me several looks, you always have. But today," Will closed his eyes and pictured it, "Today was different." _

"_You're losing it," Alex huffed as he tightly closed his eyes. He knew exactly what Will was talking about. _

_The elevator doors opened and Will and Alex walked out and towards their car. _

"_Can we stop at Ralph's on the way home?" Will asked as he sat down in the car and buckled up. "We need bananas and milk." _

"_Sure," Alex said as he put his foot on the break and pushed the button to start the car. He put the car in reverse to back out of the parking spot before sighing and putting it back in park. _

"_OK, look," Alex turned to face a confused Will._

"_It can be regular milk," Will said, eyebrows slightly furrowed. "I know you don't like it when I buy almond milk."_

"_I don't care about the stupid milk," Alex rolled his eyes. "I'm just saying that maybe I sometimes look at you a certain way. Sometimes, not all the time. Maybe." _

_Will smiled and leaned over to grasp Alex's face, "I like how you look at me. Nobody looks at me that way." _

_Alex cautiously held Will's gaze, "Yeah?" _

"_Mmm hmm," Will nodded. "You don't have to be shy." _

"_I am not shy," Alex stated firmly, trying to squirm away from Will's hands. _

"_You're sweet," Will rubbed his thumbs against Alex's cheekbones. "Married to me and you can't even admit you stare at me like a lovesick little boy."_

_Alex narrowed his eyes, "That's not funny." _

"_It's a little funny," Will smiled before leaning forward to kiss Alex. "But just so you know," Will admitted as he let go of Alex, "My heart did a tiny little skip when she said we were married."_

_Alex pursed his lips before saying, "Mine did too." _

"_I know," Will nodded seriously. "I saw."_

_Alex sighed again before giving Will another kiss, "I love you. And you're not buying almond milk by the way."_

"_Oh come on," Will laughed. "You won't even try it. How do you know you don't like it?"_

* * *

Will looked between his mom and EJ before saying, "I guess no one was surprised by that."

Alex, looking at EJ out of the corner of his eyes, moved into the hotel suite and pulled Will against him, hand slipping into Will's back pocket. He wasn't entirely sure about this whole zombie husband business.

Chad carefully pushed EJ back into the suite so he could close the door. Sami slapping EJ was somehow the nicest of the greetings he anticipated her giving his brother.

EJ, neck twisted to the side, face slightly red from where Samantha had smacked him, took a few moments to collect himself.

From the moment he had woken in that strange hospital the only thing he could think about was Samantha and his children. It was overwhelming to have her so close to him now.

Sami stood near Will with her arms crossed, clinging to her elbows. As soon as she saw the man in front of her she knew it was EJ. The real EJ, her EJ. She couldn't tell you how she knew she just did. Samantha Gene Brady DiMera was unequivocally certain her husband was back from the dead.

It was taking all of her willpower not to run over to EJ and forget everything else. That's what she would have done if it was a few years ago. She would have thrown herself into EJ's arms and forget the world, her responsibilities. If it was a few years ago she would have done anything to have EJ back.

However, over the two years that she had been alone Sami had grown. Sami was forced to grow. Instead of being involved in something reckless, dangerous or illegal she was a full time mother. Instead of scheming and lying she spent her days carting children off to school, soccer practices, dance recitals, grocery shopping, doctor's appointments, and everything in between.

The one day off a week she had was when Will and Alex took the kids on Friday nights. She wasn't involved in any of the same endeavors as when she was with EJ. Her life was normal.

'_And I don't plan on that changing,'_ Sami reminded herself. _'I don't want to go back to the same person I was before even if it means losing EJ again.' _

Will watched his mother's facial expressions carefully. He knew she was one of the strongest people he knew but EJ always held sway over her. Just as Sami had seen the changes in Will, Will had seen the same changes in his mom.

Will wasn't quite sure what he would do if his mom went back to the woman she was in Salem. Actually, Will did know what he would do. He just hoped he wouldn't be forced to do it.

"Um," Will cleared his throat, "Do you want us to leave?"

"Ye-," EJ started to say before getting cut off.

"No," Sami demanded. She absolutely needed Will and Alex there with her for this. She needed them to keep her sane, grounded. She was afraid if she was left alone with EJ before things were settled she would lose her ground and cave into whatever he wanted.

"You're staying," Sami ordered.

Alex shrugged before dragging Will over to the couch and flopping down. He hadn't met EJ before and he wasn't too keen on leaving Sami alone with him just yet.

Chad looked over at EJ wondering if he should leave or if he was welcome to stay. He was not close to Sami by any stretch of the imagination but he figured his brother should have some support.

EJ just lifted his hand in an aborted motion. He didn't care at all at the moment. He didn't care about anything. If he had to have this reunion and this discussion in front of a room full of people he would.

Will sat as close to Alex as he could. He wasn't sure he wanted to witness this but at the same time he didn't want his mom to be alone.

Chad, ready to sit down next to Will, got a phone call. Seeing who it was, Chad announced, "I need to take this. Excuse me."

As soon as Chad was gone and the door shut soundly behind him the room was enveloped in an awkward silence. It took all of Alex's might not to open his mouth and ruin it. However, he figured he should at least leave that up to Sami.

EJ moved closer to Sami, desperate to feel more than just the palm of her hand smacking against his face.

Sami took a deep breath and felt her eyes watering. She wanted to touch EJ, to see if he felt the same as he used to but she didn't want to move first. She wasn't sure if she could move first.

EJ reached out to touch Sami's cheek. He extended his hand carefully fully prepared to stop if she wanted him to.

Sami's eyes closed as soon as EJ's large hand cradled her face. A few tears escaped and trailed down her cheeks, marring her meticulously applied makeup.

EJ gasped as soon as he made contact. He had almost forgotten what Samantha's skin felt like, how soft it was, how smooth. EJ had spent the past few weeks trying to remember every detail he could. Every freckle, every line, every tiny little blemish that detailed his wife's beautiful face.

"When I woke up," EJ whispered, brushing away a few tears on Samantha's face, "After I became aware of my surroundings, the only thing I could think about was you."

"All I wanted," EJ took a step closer, "Was to see you, hear your voice. I don't think I've wanted anything so much."

"What happened?" Sami finally asked. "You-you were dead. I saw you. I know you were. You were lying there, unresponsive. You weren't breathing and you weren't moving. I know you weren't. Your," Sami shook her head, voice catching, "Your heart wasn't beating."

"I don't know," EJ responded feeling as emotional as Samantha. "I remember saying goodbye to you and waking up. I wish I knew but I don't. I never would have left you, not after everything."

"You did leave though," Sami whispered, more tears falling from her eyes. "You left me, us, all alone. What were we supposed to do without you?"

"Exactly what you did," EJ answered. "From what I've been told you carried on with your life. You've been raising our children all on our own. Will showed me their picture," EJ started tearing up himself, "They look so happy, so big. And it's because of you. Because you were able to get past your own pain and be there for them."

"It was so hard at first," Sami admitted. "I didn't think I could do it but I did."

"I know, Darling," EJ said.

At the term of endearment Sami lost it, finally choking back a sob and throwing herself into EJ's open, awaiting arms.

Will gazed at his mother sadly. He knew how much this meant to her, having EJ back. They had spent so many nights talking about how EJ's death had affected his mother.

Alex uncomfortably turned away from Sami embracing EJ. Big emotional scenes were not his thing but there was something strange about seeing Sami this way. For as long as he had known her she was always the strong one.

Sami was the maternal figure Alex always craved. She would laugh at his comments, appreciate them. She didn't expect things out of him he couldn't give. Sami didn't want Alex to change. She just accepted him completely. She never once resented his existence. Seeing her crying into someone's chest made Alex feel awkward particularly since it was a man Alex did not know. A man that Alex knew had hurt Sami and Will both in the past.

However, Alex tried to see it from a practical point-of-view.

'_If I thought Will was dead and had to raise Ari on my own,'_ Alex thought, _'How would I react if Will suddenly came back a few years later?'_

Alex didn't like that thought much. Instead he practically yanked Will into his lap, holding him close.

"Is this a good idea?" Will asked Alex, leaning against him.

"Beats the hell out of me," Alex replied.

Sami let EJ hold her tightly for a few moments until she composed herself. Wiping at the black streaks under her eyes, Sami pulled away and smacked against EJ's arms and chests.

"You left me," Sami started screaming.

"I know," EJ answered as he stayed still, not even bothering to defend against her hits. EJ knew she needed to get her aggression out. That for this to work between them he was in for a lot of emotional ups and downs.

"I thought you were dead," Sami yelled, pummeling against EJ's chest. "You let me think you were dead."

"I promise you I had nothing to do with that," EJ tried to reassure her.

"You left us," Sami screeched, voice cracking. "I had to tell our children their father was dead. I had to hold them while they sobbed. I had to explain to Sydney every day for two months that you weren't coming back!"

"I'm sorry," EJ started yelling repeatedly just as loud as Sami. He didn't know what he could say or what he could do to make this right.

"When we moved Johnny wouldn't let me get rid of your clothes," Sami shook her head, fists still weakly hitting EJ's chest. "He kept them in his room. He'd lay out an outfit every day for you."

"I'm sorry," EJ whispered gently, the reality of the situation hitting him. Everyone in his life thought he was dead. They mourned him and then they moved on.

"Ev-even Allie cried herself to sleep every night for months," Sami wailed. "You left us. You left us."

"And I'm never going to do that again," EJ promised. "I know who that doctor is now. If anything ever happens to me again I'll do whatever it takes to make sure I come back to you."

"I told you before," EJ grasped Sami's face, thumbs rubbing behind her ears, "That I would love you more than any man has loved anyone, until the last breath slips through my lips. And now we know I'll love you even after that."

Sami stepped on her tippy toes and threw her arms around EJ's neck, burying her face in his chest. With her eyes closed Sami could recall so many moments between them with just EJ's familiar scent.

"You still smell the same," Sami gasped.

EJ rubbed his hands up and down Samantha's back, holding her close.

"I used to spray your cologne on your old pillow every night," Sami admitted. "When the bottle ran out I didn't know what to do. I knew I couldn't buy anymore, there was no reason. But the scent left your pillow and I was alone."

"I'll never leave you alone again," EJ guaranteed. "I don't care how many months it takes, how many years until you let me in again. I'll be here every day waiting for you."

"I don't want to wait years or months. I want to be with you. I love you," Sami confessed. "We've already lost too much time. Your children have lost so much time."

"Then what do we do?" EJ asked. "I'll do anything; just tell me what to do."

"I don't know," Sami cried before taking a step away from EJ and turning to face Will and Alex.

"What, um, how should we do this. What would be the best thing?" Sami asked them both. She needed their advice, their input.

"You really need to figure everything out between you and EJ first, Mom," Will said automatically. "Before you bring the kids into this."

Looking at EJ, Will added, "You need to figure out if you can live here and be a part of the life they, we, have now."

"Yeah," Alex agreed, hand placed high on Will's thigh, "No one is fucking anything up."

EJ lifted an eyebrow at who he assumed to be Alex.

"And who exactly are you?" EJ demanded not appreciating the tone or the look he was receiving.

Alex gave EJ an insincere smile, "Alex Kiriakis. Who the hell are you?"

Will put his hand on Alex's chest, "You two play nice."

"EJ," Will stood up from the couch and dragged Alex with him, "This is Alex."

"Your replacement husband?" EJ asked as he crossed his arms.

Alex made a low growling noise in the back of his throat and made to move around Will.

"Stop it," Will rolled his eyes. Facing EJ, Will stated plainly, "You've missed a lot EJ. Don't ruin everything before you even get it back."

"I highly doubt your mother is going to keep me away just because I upset…" EJ trailed off when he saw the look on Samantha's face. "Seriously?"

"A lot's changed, EJ," Sami repeated. "And if any of this is going to work than you need to accept that."

EJ looked between Samantha, William and Alex carefully.

"I suppose before I can do that I would need to know what exactly it is I'm accepting," EJ replied before flopping on the couch dejectedly.

EJ put his head in his hands, _'I've missed so much. I don't even know all of the members in the entirety of my family. I've missed everything.' _

"Then we'll explain it," Sami offered as she sat closely next to him. "I'll tell you every detail you want to know, make sure that you understand everything."

Alex cleared his throat, "Can we fast forward to me? Ari gets out of school in an hour."

"Does everything have to be about you?" Sami wondered.

"When I entered is when the good stuff happened," Alex shot back. He glanced around the room and sat down on a single chair, Will on his lap.

EJ watched Will and Alex interact curiously. All EJ had for a comparison was Will's relationship with Sonny. EJ had seen William and his former husband touch and kiss. However, he had never seen Will like this before.

EJ had never seen Will sitting like that, touching like that. _'Hell,'_ EJ thought, _'I've never seen anyone look at William like that before either.'_

"What exactly did I miss?" EJ questioned trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

'_The William I know would never be this self-assured. The William I know never would have left Jackson Kiriakis for anything. How did this even happen?'_

Sami, linking her arm with EJ's, turned to look at Will and Alex expectantly. "Well," Sami gestured for one of them to begin, "Why don't you explain your part first, Will."

"Oh, um," Will didn't even know where to start. "Well, a short while after I got divorced from Sonny I decided to move us here with Mom."

"You lived with Samantha?" EJ wanted to ask why and how Will ended up divorced but decided to let it go for the moment. He would ask William personally when he got the chance.

"For a long time," Will nodded. "Almost a year, actually, before Ari and I moved in with Alex."

"Then," Will continued not wanting anymore interruptions, "About a month or two after I moved here I met Alex. We saw each other casually for a while before it got serious."

"That's a mild way of putting it," Alex commented as his hand moved to Will's inner thigh again.

EJ, staring at Alex's hand oddly, couldn't help but ask, "You just happened upon a Kiriakis?"

"Yeah," Will chuckled slightly. "Mom convinced me to go out for a change and I met Alex at a bar. We didn't exactly know who the other one was for a long time."

"You were dating someone and you what?" EJ stared at William like he was missing something, "Didn't have any idea who the other person was?"

"I knew exactly who he was," Alex replied defensively. "His last name doesn't define him and neither does his past."

Will leaned against Alex comfortingly, "Exactly, it was better that way anyway. We took our time getting to know each other without any prejudice. When we found out how we were connected we both decided it was too late to go back."

"He got his claws in me good," Alex nodded, face softening slightly.

"Psh," Sami laughed, "We all know it's more than that."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Alex dismissed. "We met, we got together, and now we're stuck."

"You're so romantic," Will rolled his eyes. "Anyway," Will continued, "It took Ari and Alex a while to warm up to each other but now we're a family."

"It's true," Sami agreed. "Everyone loves Alex. The kids spend every Friday night with Will, Alex and Ari. Then all four kids spend Saturday night with me. And we all get back together on Sunday."

"Right," EJ said quietly. He was still having a tough time reconciling everything he was hearing.

Sami tucked her hair behind her ears and said, "Alex is like another son to me. The girls adore him and Johnny really looks up to him." Sami and Alex shared a glance, "He's helped Will and Ari come so far. He's not going anywhere."

"That's right," Alex smugly replied. "I don't see anyone saying the same about you."

"Alex," Will said. "Enough."

"Just saying," Alex grumbled.

"Yep," Will told him consolingly, "Everyone loves you, baby."

Alex pinched Will's thigh.

"Hey," Will complained as the two started hitting and pinching each other playfully.

Sami shook her head at Will and Alex fondly before looking over at EJ again. Every time she saw EJ her heart sped up and she almost couldn't believe he was real. That this wasn't some beautiful dream she would wake up from any moment.

"They're cute," Sami divulged to EJ leaning towards him, not wanting to be away from him for even a moment.

"I've never seen William like this before," EJ admitted. "I've seen him happy and I've seen him in love but I don't even know what this is."

"You'll get used to it," Sami promised. "I think you and Alex will really get along once you get to know each other."

"When I was alone," EJ said, "I tried to picture what everyone was like and I think I'm beginning to realize that everything I imagined was wrong."

Will, done with his mock fight with Alex, saw the extravagant clock on the wall and said, "We really need to leave to get Ari."

"OK," Sami stood up from the couch but stayed near EJ. "Um, I don't know if I should," Sami tried to finish her sentence but couldn't.

"We'll get the kids from school," Alex instantly offered.

"Yeah," Will agreed. "Um, maybe you should take the rest of today to figure everything out."

"It's Friday anyway," Alex pointed out. "We'll just get them a few hours earlier than usual."

EJ wanted to object. As much as he missed Samantha he missed his children even more. But one look at the protective expression on William's face EJ realized he was right.

'_Samantha needs to decide if she'll let me in before I can see my children again,'_ EJ thought. _'I need to know and understand everything I missed.' _

EJ stood up from the couch. He still wasn't sure about this Alexander character but he was willing to learn.

'_I need to discover whether or not he's good enough for my family or for William,'_ EJ decided.

Will put his hands on his mom's shoulders, "Are you sure about this? One of us can stay if you aren't ready to be alone yet."

"No, Ari needs you," Sami reassured Will. "And I," Sami looked over at EJ, "I need to do this, Will. I need to."

"I know," Will gave her a soft smile. "But if he does anything you don't want you need to call me."

"We all know if he did my screams would be so loud I'd break his eardrums," Sami stated.

"Mom," Will pulled her into a hug, "This is what you've always wanted."

Sami nodded weakly, "I have to make sure it is first. I can't ruin anything that you've helped me build here. I can't, not even for EJ."

"You'll make the right decision," Will knew she would. He knew that now she would put her children first.

"Thanks," Sami appreciated Will's unwavering support in her. It had taken them more than two decades to get to a place where they could trust each other completely.

Alex, seeing Will and Sami having a moment, moved so he was in front of EJ. Alex had seen EJ's picture around Sami's house the entire time he had been in their lives. He was familiar with what he looked like. It was different though seeing EJ in person.

Alex had heard the stories, both good and bad. Alex knew about all the disgusting and downright disturbing things the man had done over the course of his life. Alex remembered one night, the first anniversary of EJ's death, where he asked Sami how she could love EJ even after all the things he had done.

At the time Alex couldn't understand her explanation. But as he grew closer to Will, as he fell harder and harder it began to make sense. There are certain types of love that no matter how painful will always be there.

Alex knew without a doubt that Will could probably do anything in the world and Alex would still love him. Will had done some bad things to Alex's own brother and Alex unquestionably loved Will still. Alex wasn't perfect by any means either and Will loved him just as fiercely.

So, Alex thought he understood why EJ had such a hold over Sami even after she had tried to move on. But that didn't mean Alex had the same problem.

'_This is the first time in my entire life I have had a family that loves and accepts me completely,'_ Alex thought. _'And I am not letting anyone get in the way of that.'_

'_Also,'_ Alex thought a bit too gleefully, _'In Will's face. He is barely taller than me.'_

EJ observed Alexander carefully. EJ would admit he didn't exactly remember all the details of Justin Kiriakis' face.

'_But Alexander doesn't really look much like his father,'_ EJ mused. _'He has that same confidence though. Too much of it to be real, it would appear.'_

From a cursory glance one would think Alexander Kiriakis was handsome, fit and full of himself. However, EJ was good at seeing below the surface. EJ had seen something in Samantha that she couldn't see in herself when they first met. EJ had seen potential in William when he was a misguided, angry teenager. In Alexander EJ could see someone hardened, someone trying so hard to be bad but was inherently good.

EJ didn't know Alexander's story. Admittedly he didn't even remember that Justin had any other children besides Sonny but EJ could adapt. EJ could see plain as day across Alex's carefully constructed mask.

'_He is going to do everything he can to protect everyone he loves,' _EJ saw. _'And it just so happens we love all the same people.'_

"Alexander," EJ said giving him a knowing look and a nod of his head. EJ was serious when he said he would do whatever he had to be a part of his family's life again even if that involved dealing with a hot-headed Kiriakis with a chip on his shoulder.

Alex lifted one eyebrow, "Elvis."

Will and Sami looked at their partners with tender exasperation before going to stand near them.

"Come on," Will urged Alex, "We don't want to be late."

Before Will could turn towards the door EJ grabbed his elbow and pulled him into a hug.

Will huffed before lifting his chin so he wasn't smooshed into EJ's chest. Closing his eyes for one small, miniscule second, Will enjoyed the familiar scent and feel of EJ before stepping away.

"Be good to my mom," Will ordered looking into EJ's eyes.

"That's all I want now," EJ promised. "No tricks, no schemes, no lies, just Samantha, our children, and even you and yours."

Will nodded, trying not to feel too much. He couldn't allow himself to feel anything now. He had to worry about his mom, Johnny, Sydney, Allie, and even how Ari and Alex were going to deal with this. He didn't have time to think about his own feelings.

Alex pulled something out of his pocket and slipped it into Sami's hand, "You might need this."

Sami looked at the small bottle and frowned, "Why would I need pepper spray?"

Alex lifted one shoulder, "I don't know. At least I didn't give you a condom."

"Would you get out of here and go give my grandbaby a kiss," Sami laughed as she hugged Alex and kissed his cheek.

"But seriously," Alex told her, "Use it."

"Stop giving my mother access to dangerous objects and let's go," Will shook his head and chuckled.

"Is there enough time to stop at a Starbucks?" Alex asked as they walked out the door. "I promised the kid she could have one of those tea things."

"You are not allowed to talk about me spoiling her ever again," Will ordered as the door closed behind them.

"Hey, you two leaving?" Chad wondered for his spot in the hallway, telling whoever was on the line to hold and pushing the mute button.

"We have to get Ari," Will informed Chad. He looked at him curiously, "You were out here a long time."

"Father," Chad rolled his eyes. "He's antsy that I've been gone for so long and haven't told him why."

"I see," Will said. "Does that mean you'll have to leave soon?"

"Probably," Chad sighed. "Any longer and he'll start to suspect I kidnapped EJ and foiled his nefarious plans."

"You lead a weird life," Alex remarked.

"Let us know when you're officially leaving," Will told Chad. "I know all the kids will want to see you again."

"Of course," Chad nodded before going back to the phone.

* * *

Ari strutted up to the counter at the Starbucks near their house and ordered, "I need a tall very berry hibiscus with a splash of lemonade."

"Uh," the barista looked amused at the bossy little blonde. "Anything else?"

"Yes," Ari nodded as Will and Alex finally stood behind her. "The gentlemen will also be ordering."

Will rattled off their orders before handing a twenty dollar bill over to Ari. She liked to pretend she was the one paying for it all.

Ari got her change back and said, "Now, let's do coffee."

* * *

As soon as the door closed behind William and Alexander EJ pulled Samantha back into his arms, burying his face in her hair. He had missed her so much. Missed the scent of her hair and skin, the feel of her slight form in his arms.

'_I even missed her screaming and ranting,'_ EJ realized. _'I missed everything.'_

"EJ," Sami whispered over and over. She had done her very best to move on from what happened, to move on from EJ. But here he was right back where she always dreamed he would be.

"I missed you," EJ confessed in a broken tone. "But I suspect it's nothing compared to your pain."

"Every time we've broken up," Sami told EJ. "A part of me always knew I'd end up with you again. No matter who I was with or what I said I knew I would get pulled back into your orbit. When you di-died," Sami's voice shook, "I was forced to deal with the fact that you were gone. That everything was over."

"But you did," EJ praised. "You carried on with your life. You were so strong and brave and beautiful."

Sami backed away from EJ and shook her head.

"I've almost killed you before," Sami whispered in horror. "How could I do that? How could I-,"

"That doesn't matter," EJ wanted to hold her again but didn't dare push his luck right now. He knew this was going to take time. Things were never going to be the same between them.

"I think we need to talk about what happened while you were gone," Sami stated as she sat back down on the couch, pushing aside the thought.

EJ nodded and followed her. He had so many questions his head was practically bursting with them.

"I guess I should start with us moving to Los Angeles," Sami revealed. "After," Sami looked down at her lap, "After you were gone I was offered a deal with some Hollywood executives to build a story about my life. It ended up being a mess and Will was involved but I'll let him explain that later. Anyway, I realized I couldn't be in Salem without you so we moved."

"I didn't want your father anywhere near our children," Sami divulged. "So I basically did everything I could to escape his infulence."

"OK," EJ nodded. He was not surprised to hear that. _'Well, possibly the Hollywood thing but that's not important.'_

"We were all trying to get through everything," Sami continued. "We were all existing but it wasn't right. About five months after we moved Will and Sonny got divorced. Again, I'll let Will decide what to tell you but the whole thing was awful on Will and Ari. They were both in such bad shape. I convinced Will he needed to get out of Salem too for both of their sakes."

"So he moved?" EJ asked, moving closer to Samantha when he saw how distraught she was. _'How bad could it have been if she's this emotional about it years later?'_

"Yes," Sami nodded. "They moved in with us. Ari was so clingy and anxious. She would hardly let Will out of her sight. But eventually Will started getting back on his feet. He started healing, forgiving himself. He met Alex. Ari started healing too."

"I know that you think I was alone in taking care of the kids," Sami said to EJ, "But I wasn't. Will helped me every day. Alex was over so often it was like he lived there too. I know it must be hard to imagine or hear but I swear when I say we're a family I mean it."

"I wouldn't have been able to do it without Will and later on without Alex," Sami revealed. "They're so important to me, to all of us, EJ."

"I believe you," EJ told her. "It's just a lot to take in."

"A lot has happened since you've been away," Sami took EJ's hand and squeezed.

"Like the fact that you suddenly have 4.5 children?" EJ couldn't stop himself from saying.

"Yes," Sami insisted. "If anyone were to ask me I would proudly tell them I have the world's sassiest, most complicated grandchild, two of the most daughters in the world and three handsome, strong sons."

EJ rested his forehead on Samantha's shoulder. It was so much to take in. When he woke up in that hospital he thought only a few weeks, maybe a month had passed. He never imagined it would be years.

'_So much has changed. What else have I missed? How has everything been turned on its head?'_ EJ could hardly believe everything he was hearing.

* * *

"Today I learned what a rhombus is," Ari explained as she cheerfully sipped her tea.

"It's a diamond," Alex argued.

"You have to call it a rhombus," Ari fired back getting annoyed. "What did you do today?"

Alex and Will looked at each other briefly before Alex said, "Met someone today."

"Who?" Ari demanded. For all the progress she had made she still didn't take kindly to strangers coming into their lives.

"Someone that likes grandma," Will stated.

"Grandma's awesome," Ari said very seriously. "She should have lots of boyfriends."

"Oh really?" Alex laughed.

"Yeah," Ari nodded enthusiastically. "Lots and lots of boyfriends."

"Do you even know what a boyfriend is?" Will wondered.

"A boyfriend is someone like Alex that gives you compliments and does whatever you want," Ari answered.

"Excuse me?" Alex demanded in offense.

Will tried not to laugh, "That's kind of what a boyfriend does."

"I did not do that," Alex complained.

"You did," Ari told him happily. "And now you're committed together forever and ever and you'll do whatever we want."

"That was not in my vows anywhere," Alex pointed out even though Ari wasn't listening anymore.

"So does grandma have a boyfriend?" Ari leaned forward on the table excitedly.

"Not exactly," Will divulged.

"Hmph," Ari huffed. "She should."

"I think you'll be getting that wish pretty damn soon," Alex mumbled still annoyed by her comments.

"If grandma gets a boyfriend," Ari thought out loud, "Does that mean I'll have another grandpa?"

"Uh," Alex didn't know what to say to that. "How many do you think you have now?"

"Justin's my grandpa," Ari informed them. "And that other guy but I forget his name."

Alex snorted at her willfully forgetting Lucas.

"Then the one at grandma's house," Ari finished. "The one in all the pictures."

Will looked at Ari carefully for her reaction, "Would you mind having another one?"

"Would I get more presents at Christmas?" Ari asked with a faux innocent smile.

"Probably," Alex told her.

"Then no," Ari said. "But he would have to be very nice and give me lots of presents and everyone would have to like him. I don't want him to be like that other grandpa who makes everyone feel weird."

"Right," Will replied. _'That won't be hard at all.'_

"Come on," Will urged a few minutes later. "We need to go pick up Sydney from school."

"Yay," Ari cheered as she hopped from her chair and grabbed her tea. "But you should buy her a strawberry frap. She likes those."

* * *

"You two girls are staying with Alex," Will told them as they pulled in front of their house. "Then I'll go get Johnny and Allie. And if you could mop the floor for me," Will smiled brightly at Alex, "I'd really appreciate that."

"What are we gonna do?" Sydney asked as she waited for Alex to open her door holding her frap in one hand and her backpack in the other.

"How about I teach you how to play Cinderella?" Alex offered with a hint of a smirk.

"How do you play that?" Sydney questioned.

"You girls have to mop the floor while I be the evil stepmother and watch," Alex said plainly.

"Alex," Will laughed as he rolled down the window.

"What?" Alex shrugged. "You said the floor needed to be mopped. I'm getting it mopped."

"Uh huh," Will rolled his eyes before leaning his head out the window for a kiss.

When he pulled back Will bit his lower lip and said, "Can you try to gauge how Sydney might be feeling about what's probably going to happen? Subtly though," Will warned.

"I can be subtle," Alex insisted. "And I'm on it."

"Hurry," Ari yelled from the front door. "We need to play Cinderella now."

* * *

"So," Alex pulled a chair over near the kitchen to sit as the girls took turns mopping the floor_. 'How do I subtly bring up Sydney's dead father?'_

"You know what movie we should watch tonight?" Alex asked before answering his own question. "_How to Train Your Dragon 2_."

"I like that movie," Ari replied as she stuck her tongue out while concentrating on the floor.

"Me too," Sydney agreed.

"I like the part where we find out that one dudes mom is actually alive," Alex instantly said. _'OK, maybe I don't know how to be subtle.'_

"Yeah," Sydney looked down at the floor, shoulders slumping. "That part makes me happy and sad."

"Why is that?" Alex pressed, leaning forward in his seat.

"Because I want my daddy to be alive but he isn't," Sydney confessed. "My daddy is like at the end of the movie and it's sad."

"That is sad," Ari agreed. "We should watch the first movie instead. That one is happier."

"Yeah," Sydney nodded, head still tilted downwards.

Ari didn't like it when anyone was sad. So, she bent over and got some soapy bubbles on her hand and flicked them at Sydney, giggling in delight when Sydney smiled.

'_Well,'_ Alex sighed when the girls got into a messy water fight in the middle of the kitchen, _'I guess this is my punishment for making them do my chores.' _

Shooing the girls away so he could clean up, Alex thought_, 'At least I know one kid is gonna be happy by the end of the weekend.'_

* * *

"Where's mom?" Allie asked when she opened the door to Will's car instead of her mom's outside of her school.

"She's got something to take care of," Will explained quickly. "Ari and Syd are already with Alex at my house. We're just waiting on you and Johnny."

A few minutes later Will saw Johnny, accompanied by his teacher, coming towards his cars.

"Uh oh," Allie laughed. "Someone's in trouble again."

"Why does this always happen when I pick you up?" Will rolled his eyes and rolled down the window.

"Hi," Will called out when the teacher leaned over to talk to him.

"Hi," the woman gave Will a stern look.

"Can I help you?" Will asked politely not wanting to further antagonize the woman.

"Yes," the teacher replied, "Johnny hasn't done his homework in two weeks. I was hoping you would be able to talk to him. Lunch detention doesn't seem to be helping."

She handed Will a large stack of papers and said, "Just make sure he completes these and turns them in over the next week, please."

"Right," Will took the stack, "I'll get on that."

Johnny got in the back seat and groaned before Will even had the chance to say anything.

"What's this about?" Will turned to look at his brother. "You usually get your homework taken care of."

"I don't know," Johnny complained. "I just didn't want to."

"Uh no," Will put the car back into drive and pulled away. "Try again," Will told Johnny.

Johnny kicked at the back of the seat in front of him. "I don't want to do it," Johnny argued loudly.

"Because?" Will goaded.

Allie looked at her brother and bit her lip. She thought she knew what this was about, wondering if she should just blab.

'_Will won't freak out like mom would,'_ Allie thought. _'And Johnny's just being a dumb boy.'_

When Johnny still didn't say anything Allie informed Will, "His eye doesn't fit right anymore and he won't tell anyone!"

"Allie," Johnny yelled out feeling betrayed.

"Woah, woah, woah," Will said, "Back it up. Why wouldn't you tell anyone that?"

"It's not a big deal," Johnny mumbled.

"Yeah it is," Will insisted. "What the hell?"

* * *

As soon as Will pulled into the driveway and shut off the car Johnny tried to run off inside only for Will to grab his arm and pull him back.

"Come here," Will ordered as he put his hand on Johnny's forehead and pushed his head back to look at his eye.

At a casual glance Johnny's prosthetic eye appeared normal but when Will looked closer he could see the eyelid was slightly red and puffy. Will had the strange urge to touch the area but knew he shouldn't.

"When did it start hurting?" Will demanded.

"I don't know," Johnny shrugged. "This weekend I guess."

"Why didn't you tell mom?" Will wondered. He definitely was no doctor but he assumed since Johnny was growing pretty rapidly his eye socket was changing too.

"She's been weird ever since you and Alex left," Johnny explained. "I used my eye drops and I thought it was going to go away."

"When was the last time you cleaned it?" Will asked.

"I don't know," Johnny gave Will a sheepish smile. "It freaks me out."

'_Me too,'_ Will thought before putting his arm around Johnny and pulling him towards the house

"Come on," Will said, "We need to clean that sucker out and call your doctor."

"Where's mom?" Johnny questioned as he tried not to rub at his eye.

"Uh," Will tried to remember what he told Allie, "She's taking care of something."

* * *

"I've deal with some pretty weird shit with kids for this family," Alex commented as he leaned against a counter in the kitchen. "But this has to be the oddest."

"Oh shut up," Johnny complained as he sat on the counter and watched Will wash his prosthetic.

"Just saying kid," Alex shook his head.

"Do you think I need a new one?" Johnny bit his lip nervously.

"Maybe," Will admitted. "You've had this one for a while."

"Why didn't Sami clean it out before?" Alex turned away from the sink and went to get a snack together for everyone.

"She usually does," Johnny told them. "Don't tell her but she kind of sucks at it."

"Oh yeah?" Will chuckled.

"She's not as good at it as dad was," Johnny confessed. "He always managed to take it out without me even knowing."

Will tensed up slightly, "Really?"

"Yeah," Johnny sighed. "Mom tries but she's not as good at it. You did pretty good though."

"All clean," Will declared as he waited for the prosthetic to dry.

Alex looked over at Johnny before asking, "You miss your dad a lot these days?"

Johnny lifted one shoulder up, "I guess. I used to think about him all the time. I mean, I still miss him it just doesn't hurt as much."

"What would you do if your mom started going on dates?" Alex wondered carefully.

"Oh," Johnny frowned for a moment. "I guess it would depend on who she dated."

"What do you mean?" Will moved towards Johnny ready to insert the prosthetic.

"Well," Johnny glanced over at Alex, "I didn't like Alex at first but he grew on me."

Alex made a face at Johnny in annoyance.

"So," Johnny shrugged. "I guess that would mean I'd want mom to date someone that was good for her and not a jerk. Eventually I figured out that's what Alex was."

"Same," Will said disregarding Alex's annoyed squawk. "So, if mom started seeing someone that she really liked it would potentially be fine."

"Maybe," Johnny stated. "Maybe not. Maybe I'll decide I don't want anyone in my mother's life. I'd just have to wait and see."

"You're a tough sell," Will replied. "OK, let's see how I do on putting this sucker back in."

Alex turned away again. He loved that kid but honestly some things were better left unseen.

* * *

With the kids all busy with their homework Alex moved closer to Will and whispered, "Who wants to bet someone isn't going to be too happy daddy's back?"

Will nodded, "He doesn't take abandonment well even if it is unintentional. Plus he's very protective."

Alex, recalling when Johnny threatened to push him off a cliff, nodded, "Tell me about it."

"Three kids down," Will said, "One kid to go."

As Will was contemplating how to approach the topic with Allie, Alex took matters into his own hands.

"Allie," Alex yelled, "Get your blonde butt over here."

A few minutes later Allie walked over to them inside the kitchen, "What?"

Alex thought on his feet, "Will missed a call from Lucas earlier today. We were just wondering if you wanted to talk to him if Will called him back."

"Oh," Allie played with the tips of her long hair, "I don't know."

"You don't have to," Will assured her. "I don't even know if I want to talk to him today."

"It's just," Allie sighed before looking over her shoulder at the three other kids sitting at the dining room table doing their homework. In a quiet voice Allie confessed, "Johnny and Sydney actually lost their dad. He's dead. But sometimes it feels like mine died too."

"What do you mean?" Will wondered stepping forward and pulling Allie against him.

"EJ wanted them more than anything," Allie told Will and Alex. "And he was always so nice to me. He made me feel like I belonged. I was so sad when he died. But my dad is alive and he doesn't see me ever. He hardly calls."

"That's not your fault," Alex instantly told her. He knew a thing or two about feeling like an unwanted child.

"Sometimes," Allie bit her lip and whispered, "I like to pretend EJ was my dad too. It doesn't hurt as much to think about him being gone because he's dead and not because he just doesn't want me anymore."

Will seriously despised his father in that moment.

Wrapping Allie up in his arms, Will promised her, "Everyone here wants you. We all love you and that isn't going to change no matter who your father is."

"I know," Allie nodded. "That's why I love you two so much. You don't ever let any of us feel sad or alone."

Alex grunted slightly when Allie threw herself against him. "Yeah, yeah, love you too."

After taking a few moments to calm down Allie went back to her homework.

"OK then," Will said as he opened the refrigerator to look at something for dinner. "I think we know how everyone is going to take the news."

"I guess we'll let mom know whenever she calls us," Alex replied as he stood behind Will, wrapped his arms around his waist and leaned his chin on Will's shoulders.

* * *

"I heard Lucas was with Adrienne," EJ blurted out. He didn't know why he thought of it but he did.

"They got married," Sami nodded. "Justin left Salem for a while and Lucas and Adrienne got closer while Adrienne was still married. There was a lot of bullshit before and after that. Lucas hasn't been there for Allie or Will in a long time. He's been trying more but Adrienne doesn't really let him. And Adrienne," Sami rolled her eyes, "She's as infuriating as ever. She actually had the nerve to start something at the reception."

"What reception?" EJ questioned.

"Oh," Sami forgot that EJ would have no idea. "Last week, on Black Friday, Will and Alex had the most beautiful commitment ceremony. Only the kids and I were at the ceremony but the reception had some other family members the boys are close to."

"Anyway," Sami continued, "Adrienne was acting like a bitch and I was forced to get into a fight with her."

"Forced to?" EJ smiled. That was the Samantha he knew and loved.

"Yes," Sami said enthusiastically. "She tried to ruin their reception. She didn't even have to be invited. Alex doesn't even like her. I'm the real maternal figure in his life."

"So you took care of her?" EJ asked proudly. He loved watching Samantha get riled up.

"Of course," Sami said. "What else could I do?"

"So," EJ slipped even closer, "A commitment ceremony not a wedding?"

"No," Sami told him easily. "Will and Alex don't really believe in marriages exactly."

"Hmm," EJ thought. _'Curious that William kept saying he was married when we were alone.'_

"The ceremony was one of the happiest moments of my life," Sami revealed with a smile. "All the children got to be a part of it. It was perfect."

"And I missed it by less than a week," EJ smiled sadly. He would have liked to have been at such an important moment in his family's life.

"To be honest," Sami informed EJ, "I doubt Alex would have let you be there anyway."

"What is it with that boy?" EJ wondered as he shook his head. "He doesn't even know me and he already hates me."

"He hates everybody at first," Sami shrugged. "He doesn't let many people in and he's very protective. If the kids, Will and I let you in so will he."

"I hope so," EJ said. "If he's important to you all I want to get to know him as well."

"You'll be forced to," Sami grinned. "Don't worry."

"What else happened while I was gone?" EJ asked.

"Hmm," Sami thought. "Oh, Justin and Kate are seeing each other."

EJ frowned, "That's unexpected. Wait," he thought it over, "Kate is with Justin and Lucas is with Adrienne?"

"Yeah, horrifying right?" Sami agreed. "We're all disturbed about it."

"How much contact do you have with everyone in Salem?" EJ asked curiously.

"I have my spies around still," Sami explained. "But I try not to talk to that many people after what happened with Will and Ari."

"Let me guess?" EJ sighed. "I have to talk to William to be in the know."

"Sorry," Sami smiled slightly. "I haven't been back to Salem since we moved and I plan on it staying that way."

"Really?" EJ frowned. He hadn't considered the possibility of never going back to Salem, ever.

"I'm better here," Sami passionately clarified. "I haven't been involved in anything illegal or dangerous. I'm not the same anymore, EJ."

Sami bit her lip, a sudden bout of insecurity washing over her. _'What if EJ doesn't want this version of me?' _she thought. _'What if he wants the old me back?'_

"What do you mean?" EJ questioned, squeezing her hand. "You're exactly how I remember."

"I'm not," Sami shook her head. "The most excitement I get is cheering Johnny on at his peewee football games or Ari with soccer. Or my lunch dates with Alex where we trash people that walk by to their face. I'm a mother and a grandmother full time."

"Do you know what I do on Friday's when Will and Alex take the kids?" Sami asked before answering quickly. "I go grocery shopping so I don't have to rush. I treat myself to a mani, pedi and I feel guilty because I'm doing something that's just for me. And that's not the Sami you know at all."

"You know the selfish, vindictive bitch. You don't know this me at all," Sami continued. "What if you don't love me like this? What if you hate Los Angeles and want to go back to Salem? What if you try to take Johnny and Sydney and-,"

"Stop it, stop it," EJ ordered as Samantha started getting louder and more emotional. "That isn't going to happen. I love every part of you! Every single bit. I loved you at your worst and now I'm going to love you at your best."

"What if you can't stay away?" Sami felt tears in her eyes and she blinked rapidly to clear them. "What if Stefano finds out you're here?"

"My father can't control me because he's never going to find out what happened," EJ assured her. "There is nothing in this world that is ever going to keep me away from you again, ever."

"Nothing?" Sami whispered tearfully.

"I died," EJ told her bluntly, "And I still found my way back for you."

Sami nodded, "OK. You're right."

"Do you know what it feels like hearing you tell me about how you've been taking care of our children?" EJ mused as he pulled Samantha against him and whispered in her ear. "It makes me feel like I've never loved you more. There is nothing, nothing that makes me want you more than you being a wonderful mother to our children."

"I have to have a lot of help," Sami reminded him. "I couldn't do it on my own."

"William helped you because that's the kind of son and brother he is," EJ knew. "He's so much like you in all the best and worst ways. And I love both of you."

Sami exhaled loudly, "EJ, I want us to be a family again so much."

"We will," EJ promised. "It might take time for everyone to get used to it but it's going to happen. We're inevitable, Darling."

"Not even death could part us," Sami whispered as she shut her eyes closed tightly.

"Now," EJ requested, "I'd like to know more about what I've missed. I want to know everything. I'm still having a bit of trouble understanding that so much time has passed me by and things are different. It seems like just the other day you had finally decided to forgive me but that was actually years ago."

"Don't bring that up," Sami demanded forcefully. She never wanted to think about _that_ situation ever again.

"Isn't that something we should talk about?" EJ questioned carefully. "I don't want there to be anything between us, no secrets and no lies."

"We don't need to talk about it because you've been forgiven and we've moved on," Sami said. "Now, unless you want me to use the pepper spray I'd just shut up."

"Right," EJ nodded. "Although that does bring up something we should discuss."

"What?" Sami asked dangerously.

"It's been a little over two years," EJ reminded her. "I thought for certain you would be romantically involved with someone."

"My husband was horrifically killed and died right in front of me," Sami narrowed her eyes at EJ. "Did you expect me to just forget that so easily?"

"No, no of course not," EJ attempted to calm her down. "I just hate the thought of you being lonely for so long."

"Being alone did not mean I was lonely," Sami informed EJ haughtily. "I had too much to do. Too many people to take care of."

"Although," Sami relented, "Will and Alex had convinced me to start thinking about dating again."

"Oh," EJ said. He wasn't sure how to feel about that.

On one hand he hated the idea of his wife being with someone else, anyone else. However, he also hated thinking about Samantha being bereft of any physical contact. In the end though he figured it was best if she was not involved with anyone, less of a mess now.

Sami pressed her lips together before saying, "I did sleep with one person though, kind of recently."

"I see," EJ blinked a few times and tried not to picture it. Realistically he knew he had no grounds to be upset but that did not mean much.

"It was just a one off thing," Sami added. "Hardly worth mentioning except Will and Alex like to joke about it."

"OK," EJ replied. He wanted to ask who it was so badly but he wouldn't.

'_Samantha thought I was dead. I cannot begrudge her for being with anyone,'_ EJ told himself. _'I, in particular, have no room to complain. I was the one who went to bed with someone else several times while we were engaged. She waited over two years before she could even sleep with someone else.' _

EJ didn't want to think about what that said about him at all.

"Anyway," Sami wanted to wipe that unpleasantness from their reconciliation, "What else would you like to know about what happened while you were away?"

"Everything," EJ stared into her impossibly blue eyes. "Tell me everything."

* * *

Sami and EJ talked well into the night, almost missing dinner entirely. When their stomachs began to growl EJ offered to order them room service.

Sami found her phone and quickly dialed Will's number while EJ was ordering.

"Hey," Will greeted. "How are you?"

"Good," Sami sighed. "So unbelievably good. Scared and confused but so good."

"I'm really glad for you, Mom," Will confessed.

"Thanks," Sami whispered. She still couldn't quite believe that she could look over at the other side of the room and see EJ DiMera in the flesh.

"We talked to the kids," Will told her. "About how they're feeling about um, you know."

"And?" Sami eagerly asked.

"I think for the most part it's going to be OK," Will explained. "I'm just not really sure how Johnny is going to handle it."

"He's going to have a strong reaction either way," Sami replied.

'_If Will is like me Johnny is like EJ,'_ Sami thought. _'For better or for worse.'_

"Hold on a sec," Will said as he walked down the stairs, trying to balance a laundry basket in his arms. "Hey, kiddos," Will called out, "Come say hi to mom." In a low voice Will said, "You might want to put this on speaker."

Will and Sami both put their phones on speaker as all four kids came running over.

EJ came over to stand near Samantha curiously as soon as she waved him over.

"Hi, Grandma," Ari happily called.

"Mommy," Sydney laughed. "Ari and I made a mess and Alex had to clean it up."

"I bet he loved that," Sami replied watching EJ's expression as he realized what he was hearing.

"Johnny got in trouble at school," Allie called out.

"Stop telling everyone that," Johnny ordered as he reached over and hit his sister in the arm.

"Ow," Allie complained before smacking Johnny right back.

"Knock it off," Will easily separated them.

"If you want ice cream you're gonna need to shut the hell up," Alex yelled from the other side of the house.

"Ice cream," Ari cheered. "Bye, Grandma!"

"Bye, Mommy," Sydney said before running off after Ari.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Allie stated before walking off.

"Where are you?" Johnny demanded.

"I'm taking care of some business," Sami told him.

"If you say so," Johnny suspiciously replied. "I better see you tomorrow."

"They're off," Will took the phone off speaker. "You can call me in the morning."

"I will," Sami pushed EJ back onto the couch as his shoulders started shaking.

When Will heard a sniffle on the other end of the line he said, "Bye, Mom. You better take care of that."

"I will," Sami said as she disconnected and pulled EJ towards her.

EJ burrowed his face against Samantha's chest, his children's happy voices running through his head.

* * *

With everyone fast asleep Will and Alex sat on their bed close together.

"How do you feel about everything?" Will asked Alex, watching for his reaction. Will knew that Alex and Ari were rather similar. They both disliked strangers encroaching on their family.

"I don't know," Alex admitted. "It took a long time to get to this point and I don't want it all fucked up because this EJ guy can't figure his shit out."

"You didn't think you could do it either," Will reminded Alex. "You didn't even like kids before we started dating and you can handle four of them now."

"Only those four," Alex pointed out. "Any others, belch," he made grossed out sound.

"The point is," Will put his hands on either side of Alex's neck, "We need to at least let him try. Mom wants it. The kids want it, mostly. We'll just be on the look out to make sure nothing happens."

"I still don't like it," Alex revealed. "But I guess as long as he can pull his own weight."

"I agree," Will kissed Alex briefly.

"What about you?" Alex realized he hadn't asked Will how he was dealing with it all.

"What about me?" Will repeated.

"How are you doing about him being back?" Alex gave Will an annoyed look.

"I'm fine," Will flashed Alex a brief smile. "As long as mom, the kids and you and Ari are able to handle it I'm fine."

"He was a big part of your life for a long time," Alex said not really liking how evasive Will was being.

"I know," Will nodded.

"It's OK to feel stuff about him being back," Alex offered. "Allie said she thought of him like her dad especially after Lucas abandoned her."

"I know," Will sighed. "I just don't know what it is I feel."

"As soon as you know," Alex grasped Will's jaw, "You're telling me."

Will nodded again, "Of course."

"Good," Alex replied before looking at Will softly.

"If I ever died," Alex promised Will, fingertips caressing his face, "I'd find my way back to you one way or another."

"No till death do us part?" Will closed his eyes and smiled.

"Nope," Alex guaranteed. "Be it zombie, ghost or some sort of medical miracle I'd come back bringing all the joy and excitement to your life."

"You know," Will licked his lips and opened his eyes, "Since we got back things have been a little hectic."

"Zombie stepdaddy was a bit of a surprise," Alex agreed.

"But," Will ignored Alex, "I have not forgotten how unbelievably good you look with your skin this color."

Will ran his hands up and down Alex's exposed arms, "So, so good."

"Hmm," Alex smirked. "I think I'm gonna need a reminder about exactly how good that really is."

Will pushed Alex flat against the bed, ready to put his mouth and hands on every single inch of Alex's skin.

* * *

Author's note:

Next chapter is going to focus on the kids reactions.

Please let me know what you thought.

Thank you for reading!

A special thank you to iluvh0rs3s for keeping me sane and on track!


	17. Chapter 17

"_Come on," Will urged Ari in a gentle tone. "I'll be with you the whole time. Plus, you look so cute in your new swim suit."_

"_I don't wanna," Ari shook her head._

"_Look how much fun everyone else is having." Will pointed at Johnny, Allie and Sydney jumping in and out of the pool._

_Ari glanced at her uncle and aunts before turning her head around. "No," Ari crossed her arms. _

"_Well," Will stood up from where he was bending over in front of her, "Daddy's going."_

_Ari snapped her head up in horror. "You can't," she gasped when she saw him take a step towards the pool._

"_Here I go," Will said in a sing-song voice. "If you want to be with me you'll just have to follow."_

_Ari narrowed her eyes and watched as her daddy moved to the edge of the pool. She didn't know what she wanted to do more – stay nice and dry or be her daddy's shadow. _

_Ari squirmed from foot to foot before giving up and running to catch up with Will. _

_Will smiled when he felt his daughter latching onto his legs. "I thought you'd see it my way," Will told her. "I promise we'll have fun."_

_Ari jumped into Will's arms and barnacled herself to him. "Don't let me go," she ordered. _

"_I won't let you go," Will promised as he walked down the steps into the pool and waded out until the water was waist deep. _

"_You used to go swimming all the time," Will reminded Ari as he held her in one arm. With his free hand Will cupped some water and dropped it down her arms and back making her squeal. "We'd go in that big pool. You got so good you didn't even need your floaties anymore."_

"_Different," Ari responded as she put her chin on Will's shoulder. Ari watched Allie and Sydney try to escape from Johnny chasing them. _

"_Why is it different?" Will questioned, almost afraid of her answer. _

"_Only need daddy," Ari dug her knees into Will's hips, holding on tight. "Don't need anyone else to swim."_

_Will knew she was referring to Sonny. One of the last few things they did as a family was take Ari to Victor's mansion to teach her to swim. The mansion had a heated pool which meant they could use it during winter. Ari always got a kick out of the "big bathtub" as she called it. She would practice swimming back and forth between Will and Sonny. She would end up so tired she could barely stay awake in the actual bathtub. _

'I think that was the last time we were actually a family,'_ Will remembered. _

_Will took a deep breath, "You've got daddy. I won't let you go."_

_Johnny, done terrorizing his sisters, swam over to Will and Ari. The two had only been living with everyone else for a few weeks now. At first when Johnny found out Will and Ari were moving with them he was excited. _

_Johnny loved his brother and Ari. For as long as Johnny could remember Will was always there for him. Even when Will was in Salem and Johnny was in California Will always managed to be there. Will would answer the phone every time Johnny called. He'd send emails. Johnny knew that Will did everything he could to be a good brother. So, Johnny knew he had to do something to make things better for Will and Ari. _

_Johnny hated seeing Will and Ari so down. Ever since they came to live with them Johnny noticed how sad they were. Everyone saw how Ari never left Will's side. His mom tried to explain to all the kids that Will and Ari were trying to turn their lives around just like they did. Johnny didn't know what that meant but he was an observant kid. He only eavesdropped a little to figure out what happened. _

_The second Johnny discovered that Sonny had left Will and Ari was not one of Johnny's best moments. He got so upset he threw his Transformer toys at the wall and broke them into pieces. But Johnny could not help himself. _

'I always thought Sonny was so nice. I thought he loved Will and Ari. Why would he leave them?'_ Johnny thought, face grimacing in anger._

_It was too soon after Johnny lost his own father, less than half a year, for Johnny to hear that. Johnny couldn't imagine anyone purposely leaving their family without trying to work things out. All Johnny could think about was those horrible few months where his mom and dad did nothing but argue. Those tense moments where he was certain his entire family was going to be ripped apart. _

'And then it was ripped apart,'_ Johnny sighed. _'Dad was gone and we moved here. Everything was different.'

_Johnny bit his lip, _'But it all worked out for us. I still miss daddy every day but it's not so hard now. I like being in California more than Salem. If Ari and Will tried they would like it too.'

_Johnny knew it wasn't exactly the same situation. Johnny's father didn't want to leave. He would never leave them. _'Not like Sonny did,'_ Johnny frowned. _

_As far as Johnny was concerned Sonny Kiriakis was dead too. _

_Johnny approached Will and Ari. He had to stand on his tiptoes to keep his head above the water. _

"_Are you having fun?" Johnny asked Ari._

_Ari shrugged, "Feels nice."_

"_It would feel better if you started swimming around," Johnny suggested._

_Ari shook her head, holding onto Will harder. _

"_Come on," Johnny cajoled. Moving in close, Johnny lowered his voice, "I need your help."_

_Ari looked at Johnny curiously. _

"_I can't get the girls on my own," Johnny continued. "I need you to help me. They'd never suspect it."_

"_You need my help?" Ari questioned, lifting her head. _

"_Mmm hmm," Johnny nodded. He extended his arms, encouraging her to let go of Will and come to him instead. _

_Ari looked at her daddy's face. _

"_Sounds important," Will revealed. "You better do it. I'll be right here the whole time watching you."_

"_OK," Ari replied. "But only for a little bit."_

_Ari let her daddy pass her to Johnny. Johnny didn't hold her as tight and she had to kick her legs to keep above the water. With a secretive smile to her daddy, Ari and Johnny slowly snuck up on Allie and Sydney. _

_Will swam back to the steps watching Allie and Sydney squeal and scream in surprise. Once Will heard the sound of Ari's familiar laughter did he smile himself. _

'Maybe moving all the way to California was a good thing after all,'_ Will thought. Will watched Ari jump on top of Allie's back and order her around like she was a horse. _

_Johnny glanced at Will out of the corner of his eye. Seeing the small smile painting Will's face, Johnny felt a smug sense of satisfaction._

* * *

Ari woke up in the middle of the night to use the restroom. Every Friday night all the kids would sleep in the living room together. They each had a sleeping bag; Ari had Disney princesses on hers. Alex had bought two inflatable mattresses too. He insisted that hearing them argue about who got to sleep on the couch pissed him off.

'_Daddy rolled his eyes at that though,' _Ari remembered_. 'Alex is silly. We all know he just likes to spoil us.'_

Allie and Sydney shared one mattress while Johnny and Ari used the other. Sometimes they switched but for the most part they all had their own routine. Ari didn't understand why they all couldn't sleep in her room.

'_I can sleep on the bed and they could all sleep on the floor,' _Ari recalled telling her daddy and Alex. For some reason they both thought that was funny.

After using the bathroom Ari contemplated going back downstairs to sleep. _'But I don't want to,'_ Ari realized. Instead Ari tiptoed down to her bedroom. She found a flashlight she hid under her bed and grabbed a book.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Johnny asked as he walked into Ari's room.

When Ari got up to use the restroom she somehow always managed to rock and roll the air mattress. Ari might have thought she was sneaky but she was too noisy and uncoordinated for that. Thus, when Ari never came back downstairs Johnny figured he better check on her.

"Reading," Ari stated before going back to her book.

"You're supposed to be sleeping," Johnny reminded her as he sat on her bed and took her book. "You can't even read this."

"I can look at the pictures," Ari defended.

"Uh huh," Johnny lifted Ari's hand with the flashlight so he could see the book. "Just let me do it."

Clearing his throat, Johnny began reading from where Ari left off. He still had to use his finger so he wouldn't lose his place.

A long while later, with the sun just beginning to rise, Johnny finished reading. "The little girl just could not sleep because her thoughts were way too deep, her mind had gone out for a stroll, and fallen down a rabbit hole."*

"That sounds like you," Johnny remarked. He looked down and saw that Ari had fallen back to sleep against him.

With a loud yawn Johnny closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.

* * *

"Aw, that's so cute," Will told Alex when they finally found Ari and Johnny the next morning.

"Adorable," Alex deadpanned. "Can you feed me now?"

"Why do I have to feed you?" Will pushed Alex out of the way and walked back down the stairs. "Why can't you feed yourself?"

"Why would I do that when I have you?" Alex shrugged.

"What did you do before me?" Will questioned with a sigh.

"Ordered out since I'm lazy," Alex admitted.

Alex followed Will into the kitchen. He watched as Will started working on breakfast.

"You're lucky my mom bought me cooking lessons when I moved in with her," Will remarked. "Or else we'd both be shit out of luck."

"What are we going to do about, uh, your mommy's special friend?" Alex asked. He could hear Allie and Sydney watching cartoons in the other room. Alex didn't want to risk them overhearing.

"I don't know," Will sighed. "I guess it's up to mom. We can't decide that for her. We decide what happens with Ari but everyone else," Will flashed Alex a helpless expression.

Alex nodded. He picked at the skin on the side of his nails before saying, "I don't know how I feel about Ari being around him anyway."

"What do you mean?" Will stopped whisking his bowl of pancake mix.

"You think it's him, fine, I believe you. That doesn't mean he wasn't involved in the whole thing," Alex explained. "Or that he won't jump right back into it now."

"OK," Will placed the bowl and whisk on the counter and moved to Alex. "What else?"

"I don't want her getting attached to someone unreliable," Alex confessed. "It's taken a lot of work to get her back to her normal, obnoxious self. I'm not blowing that for him."

"And I love that about you," Will wrapped his arms around Alex's neck and kissed him.

"But?" Alex lifted his eyebrows.

"No but," Will smiled. "I just love you."

"Sure," Alex doubted this would be the end of that conversation. "That's what you say now."

"Quit being so suspicious," Will moved away from Alex. "I have no intention of doing anything that would jeopardize Ari's progress. Just because he might be around doesn't mean that we have to be interact with him until we feel comfortable."

"If he's around the rest of our family we do," Alex pointed out. With a roll of his eyes, Alex pouted, "I just want things to stay the same."

"You're not going to lose anyone," Will reassured in a low voice. "Maybe you'll gain someone. I think you and EJ might get along if you both tried."

Alex curled his upper lip in a snarl. "I don't want to."

"You big baby," Will laughed. "One way or another everything is going to work out."

"How do you know?" Alex grumbled.

"Because you said it, we're a family." Will smiled. "Not the type that we grew up with either: a real, solid, forever kind of family. We're not going to lose that for anything."

Alex caught Will's sincere gaze. "Fine," he kissed Will again.

"Now either help me with the pancakes," Will told Alex. "Or go upstairs and cuddle your Pooh Bear until you feel better."

"Don't mock my bear," Alex ordered as he grabbed the whisk off the counter and began stirring.

"Of course," Will patted Alex's back appeasing him.

* * *

As the kids, plus Alex, were wolfing down their pancakes, Will heard his phone ringing. Will wandered over to the area in the kitchen he designated their command center. It had a calendar with everyone's schedule, a spot for the mail, and their phone chargers.

Seeing who was calling Will answered, "How did last night go?"

"Good," Sami replied smiling over at EJ's sleeping form. "So good."

"No further details," Will demanded feeling disturbed. "What's going to happen now?"

"I think," Sami took a deep breath, "Um, that you should just bring everyone over as usual. Then have the kids see EJ."

Will pressed his lips together, "Are you sure about this, Mom?"

Sami took a moment to think about it. She thought over every whispered promise EJ left on her skin. She thought about each time she had to wipe away her children's tears. She thought about the crippling pain she felt every time she wanted to tell EJ something. The horror she felt when she reminded herself he would never be there again.

'_And now he's back,'_ Sami closed her eyes. _'He's back and I will do everything I have to do to make this work. If it takes months or years to get everything right that's what it's going to take.'_

"I'm sure," Sami decisively declared. "I owe it to the kids and myself to do this. I love our family, Will," Sami said. "But I love EJ too. If there's any way I can have it all I'm going to take it."

"I know, Mom," Will replied.

"You found the person you're meant to be with," Sami continued. "And I get another chance with mine."

"So, we should bring them over around 3:30 then?" Will answered as he turned to look over at Alex.

"Thank you," Sami sighed, eyes tearing up again.

"You're welcome," Will said. "Just remember that Alex and I are going to do everything we can to protect you and the kids if we have to."

"Oh, I'm counting on it," Sami chuckled. "I'll see you in a little bit."

"We'll be there," Will stated before hanging up.

Will stared at Alex for a little while as he leaned against the counter. Even though Alex hadn't gotten dressed yet he still looked handsome with his brown hair a mess. Alex kept saying he was going to get it cut but Will fought him on it. Will loved Alex's hair when it was a bit too long.

'_I am so lucky to have found him,'_ Will thought. _'To have found someone that loves me and Ari unconditionally.' _

Alex glanced over at Will and frowned, "What are you fucking staring at?"

Will rolled his eyes, sentimental moment over.

"You," Will answered.

"Well, while you're staring at me bring me more pancakes," Alex told Will.

"Yes, dear," Will mumbled.

'_He might be a pain in my ass but I wouldn't know what to do without him,'_ Will knew. _'Mom deserves to start over again with EJ. We'll find a way to make it work, somehow.'_

* * *

"I still don't understand the difference between an Uber driver and a cab," EJ said as they stepped out of the car.

"Don't worry about it," Sami began to see just how much EJ had missed while he was away.

EJ, going to say something, closed his mouth when he took in the house in front of him. It wasn't as large or as opulent as the DiMera mansion was. But it was bigger than average.

Sami had described the place to EJ the night before. She explained in great detail all about his children and their lives together.

Sami explained that with some of the money EJ had left them she purchased a house. A house that would keep the entirety of her family comfortable. She found a nice neighborhood near the private school the kids were attending. EJ knew there were six bedrooms and almost as many bathrooms. He knew there was a pool. Also, EJ knew there was enough room in the backyard for Johnny to help Ari practice soccer.

EJ could almost picture it the night before. _'And now I don't have to,'_ he realized as they walked towards the front door. _'Now it's right here in front of me.'_

Sami gave EJ a tour of the house. In each of his children's rooms EJ paused and had to take a few moments to collect himself. He never thought he would get this. In those last moments he had resigned himself to the fact that he was dying. That he would never see his children grow up. So, to see their bedrooms almost tore him apart. Even Ari's room got to him. The last time he had seen her she was just a tiny little thing.

When Sami guided EJ into Will and Alex's room EJ had to lean against the wall and take a deep breath.

"It's OK," Sami rubbed the top of EJ's palm.

"Everything is different," EJ confessed, voice breaking. "You aren't just existing. You're living."

"We had to," Sami explained. "You were gone but I wasn't going to let my children's lives end too. I did everything I could to give them what they needed."

"I know that," EJ shook his head. "I love that. You have no idea how much that means to me but that's not what I'm talking about."

"Then tell me," Sami ordered.

"I never imagine this," EJ looked down into Samantha's eyes. "I always pictured us growing old together in the mansion. This is," EJ looked around the room, "So far out of my comfort zone."

"We needed a change," Sami smiled at EJ. "And the kids are happy, here. They love it."

EJ whispered, "What if this is a mistake?"

"What do you mean?" Sami stepped closer to him.

"Everyone is happy and thriving. I don't want to ruin that. I can't ruin that," EJ vowed. "If it was best for our children I would stay away even if it killed me."

"We don't know how they'll react," Sami conceded. "But I know they love you and miss you."

Sami stood on her tip-toes and placed her palms on EJ's cheeks. "Just like I love and miss you. They would never forgive either of us if we didn't give them this opportunity."

EJ nodded. He stared at Samantha, enthralled in everything she was saying. She could have told him anything and in that moment he would believe it.

"It's going to take time for all of us to get used to this," Sami caressed EJ's face. "But it will be worth it in the end. We'll finally get our happily ever after."

"I want that more than anything," EJ promised, bending down to capture Samantha's lips. "I don't care what it takes. All I want is this."

* * *

Alex and Will wrangled up all the kids and got them into the car. Neither were sure what was going to happen next. All they did know was they would do anything they could to protect their family.

Will was trying to find a way to ease his siblings into this. He fiddled with the bracelet Alex gave him on their first Valentine's Day. The worry beads weren't helping with his worry this time though.

'_I cannot let them walk into an ambush,'_ Will knew. _'But what could I even say to prepare them for this?'_

Before Will could think of anything else Alex's phone started loudly ringing.

Answering with the phone's Bluetooth system, Alex sighed, "What?"

"Geez," Joey's loud voice came through the speakers. "It's like you don't even want to take my call."

"That's because I don't," Alex responded as he changed lanes.

"Gah," Joey spat out, putting his hand over his chest. "That hurts."

"Don't care," Alex reminded his younger brother.

"You know you've been back from your trip for days now. Why did no one call me?" Joey demanded.

"We've been busy," Alex elusively revealed.

"Too busy to call or text your favorite brother?" Joey questioned.

"I sent Vic a text when our plane landed," Alex smirked. He really did get a kick out of setting people off.

"Asshole," Joey growled.

"He said a bad word," Ari giggled around a yawn. Her early morning wakeup was starting to catch up with her.

"I'm sure it was no worse than what you hear from Alex," Joey sniffed. With a wide grin he said, "But hello my beautiful princess."

"Hi," Ari said having a hard time keeping her eyes open.

"Someone's sleepy," Will mused.

"Is that my baby brother I hear?" Joey demanded. "You're the nice one. You'll tell me how the trip was. Did you have fun? Did you do anything? Did you take pictures?"

"Yes, Alex, and not any that you get to see," Will responded with a laugh.

"Too much information," Joey frowned.

"Need I remind you what happened with my mother?" Will asked.

"Moving on," Joey quickly got out. "So, I'm thinking about joining an online dating service."

"This conversation is over," Alex said. "Goodbye, I'll send you a message later."

"Oh come on, Ale-," Joey cut off when Alex disconnected the call.

"He's funny," Sydney said with a giggle.

"I like him," Allie agreed.

"What happened with our mother?" Johnny demanded.

"Nothing," Will and Alex said at the same time.

Johnny looked between the two of them in the front of the car suspiciously.

"Well," Will whispered to Alex, "At least Joey's good for lightening the mood."

"Sure," Alex snorted. "If things get tense later we can just call him up and tell daddy and son what he did to mommy."

"No one deserves that," Will said.

"Will, can I play with your phone?" Sydney asked politely.

"Yeah, sure," Will handed it over. "But only for a little bit. I don't want you guys fighting over it."

* * *

Sami looked in her closet and pulled out the first thing she saw. She didn't want to be away from EJ for too long. Before going back downstairs, Sami stopped to pull out the necklace Alex and Will had given her after their ceremony the other week. She was so nervous yesterday before meeting EJ she didn't remember to put it on.

After hooking the chain Sami looked in the mirror. She threw her hair up messily. Sami thought she would care more about her appearance with EJ's return but she didn't. Gone were the days she was insecure about her looks.

'_EJ was dead and came back to life to find me,'_ Sami gazed at her necklace. _'Me and the family he left behind. He loves me even if I don't put on makeup or brush my hair.'_

* * *

Sami sat poised on the edge of the couch waiting for her children to come home. EJ was waiting in the kitchen for her cue.

'_You can do this. You want to do this,'_ Sami reminded herself. _'Everything will be worth it in the end.'_

However, when the door opened it was not to the picturesque family she hoped for.

"I don't want a nap," Ari screamed at the top of her lungs.

"And I don't want to hear your whines," Alex shrugged. "Only one of us is winning this round and it isn't going to be you."

Ari argued and complained as she stomped up the stairs to her room. Alex, following behind her, urged, "You couldn't have fallen asleep in the car. Oh no, why make my life easy?"

Sami turned to look at Will only to see him holding Sydney in one arm as she and Allie tried to claw at each other.

"Give it back," Sydney screamed arms and legs flailing.

"No," Allie stuck out her tongue. Before she knew what was happening Johnny snatched Will's phone out of her hand.

"Mine now," he smiled as he jumped over the back of the couch.

"Do not do that," Sami warned. "You're gonna get hurt."

Johnny shrugged.

"Will," Allie protested. "Make him give it back."

"You took it from Syd," Will sighed as he dropped Sydney on the love seat. "Now you have to share."

"Mom," Allie stomped her foot. "It's not fair."

Sami stared at Will. _'Really?'_

"It was all going so well in the car too," Will told her.

Alex came jogging back down the stairs, "Didn't need a nap my ass."

"She already out?" Will shook his head.

"Yep," Alex confirmed. Looking around the room, he asked, "We doing this or what?"

"Yeah," Sami nodded unsure how to proceed.

Alex rolled his eyes when he noticed the kids were all still arguing.

"Yo," Alex yelled getting everyone's attention. "Your mother has something to say."

"Thank you," Sami rolled her eyes.

With everyone's undivided attention, Sami cleared her throat. "There's something that I wanted to tell you. Or well it's something I want to show you."

"Which is what?" Johnny wondered. Now that he was watching he didn't like the look on his mother's face.

"Well," Sami looked to Will and Alex for help, "You see, the thing is, I just."

Will moved over to the love seat to sit with Sydney. He gestured for Allie to sit with them. With both of his sisters with him Will said, "There's something that we need to talk about."

"What?" Johnny commanded as Alex sat down next to him.

"We found out something big," Sami said. "Something that affects us all."

"Oooh," Allie wiggled against Will. "Are Will and Alex having a baby?"

"No," Alex spat out. "No, nope, nu uh, never happening."

"Boo," Sydney said. "I wanted a baby."

"Going with that theme," Will continued. "This does have to do with expanding our family."

"Is this why you were asking about mom getting a boyfriend?" Johnny questioned with his eyes narrowed and his lips set in a line.

"A bit," Will admitted.

"It's more than that though," Sami added. "A lot more."

"What are you talking about, Mommy?" Sydney finally asked. She felt completely lost. She just wanted a baby to play with.

"You all know that we love each other, right?" Sami questioned.

"Of course," Allie responded, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear.

"It took us a long time to get to this point," Sami continued. "To get to a place where we're all happy and healthy, together. We're all in this together."

"Mom?" Johnny didn't like where this was going.

"You know I would never do anything to hurt you," Sami sniffed, tears lining her eyes. "I just want what's best for us all."

"So," Sami stood up, "There's something I need to show you."

Will and Alex caught each other's eyes, hoping this didn't blow up in their faces.

EJ sat at the kitchen table anxiously. He was so close. He could hear them, his children. He didn't even care if they were arguing or screaming. That had to have been the sweetest sound he had ever heard.

When he heard Samantha coming EJ stood up and started pulling at his clothes. He didn't know what to do or think. Everything was beginning to be too much.

'_What if this isn't the right decision? What if they hate me? What if they blame me for leaving?'_ EJ thought as Sami took his hand and pulled him towards the living room.

Will squeezed both Allie and Sydney, "Mom found out something a few days ago. She waited until she got some confirmation that it was true."

"That what was true?" Johnny demanded, getting frustrated.

The answer to his question walked into the room holding hands with his mother seconds later.

At first no one said anything, too shocked to process what they were seeing.

Sydney was the first to react. Screaming at the top of her lungs, Sydney hopped off the couch and leapt into EJ's arms.

"Daddy," Sydney squealed. "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!"

Sydney never understood that her daddy wasn't coming back, that he couldn't. No matter how many times everyone tried to explain it, Sydney never got it.

'_But I love him,'_ Sydney would tell everyone. _'He has to come back. I'd know it if he was really gone.'_

No one ever believed her though. They all thought she was just "young and traumatized." At least that's what she heard the therapist tell her mommy once.

'_But I was right,'_ Sydney thought as she wrapped her legs and arms around her father. _'I was right! He's not dead. I would know if he was. I knew it. I knew it!' _

Allie, eyes glued on EJ, scrambled off of the couch and latched onto EJ's side. He might not have been her biological father but she loved him just as dearly.

Before EJ died Allie feared that he didn't see her the way he saw Sydney. Allie was afraid that she was going to be the one left out on family time.

'_Me and Will,'_ Allie recalled thinking. _'We were the ones with the blonde hair and eyes. We were the ones with a different father and a different last name.' _

All Allie wanted though was to be part of the family. EJ proved to her that they were.

Allie couldn't fall asleep one night so she went downstairs to get something to drink. EJ was up late working. Allie thought she was going to get into trouble when he caught her. Instead, EJ showed her his secret stash of snacks.

'_I keep them up here,'_ EJ revealed. He indicated to a cabinet above the refrigerator that only he could reach comfortably.

'_One day you'll be tall enough, I bet.'_ EJ handed her an Oreo. _'You're already taller than Johnny.'_

Allie, bashful about being taller than Johnny, took the cookie without complaint. EJ poured them both a glass of milk. They stayed up talking and laughing until Allie almost fell asleep in the kitchen.

EJ lifted her in her arms and carefully tucked her into bed. Even though she was barely awake Allie still remembered EJ kissing her forehead and telling her he loved her.

Three months later he was dead.

'_And nothing was ever the same again,'_ Allie thought, breathing in EJ's comforting scent.

"You're back," Sydney inhaled, burying her face in his neck.

"You're alive," Allie said sounding confused. _'How is he alive?'_

EJ didn't know if he wanted to close his eyes or keep them wide open. Before he even had time to register what he was seeing he had an armful of Sydney. EJ held Sydney in one arm, surprised by how heavy she was now. With his other arm EJ pressed his large palm to the back of Allie's head.

"Oh god," EJ whispered. He was seconds away from breakdown.

"Daddy," Sydney started to sob. "Daddy, you're back. Don't leave me again."

"Don't," Allie agreed. "Don't Da-EJ."

Sami clasped her hands in front of her mouth. She was glad she didn't bother to put on mascara today because she was already crying.

Sami knew how much her children missed EJ. Seeing them reunited now broke her heart in an entirely different way than EJ's death did.

Will could see how happy his sisters were but at the moment he felt concerned about Johnny. Johnny hadn't moved from his seat. His eyes frozen on EJ, sitting completely still.

Alex nudged Johnny with his elbow when he didn't react. _'This isn't going to be good.'_

Johnny couldn't move, couldn't think. It was like his brain couldn't process what he was seeing.

'_Father, that's your father,' _he kept repeating through his dead. _'Dad's dead. He's not in front of me. He's dead.' _

EJ, breathing in Sydney's long brown hair, noticed his son still sitting on the couch, eyes blank. EJ tried to take a step forward but found himself blocked with Allie and Sydney clamped onto him.

"Johnny," EJ whispered. He loved Sydney and Allie more than anything. But there was always a special bond between EJ and Johnny.

Johnny recoiled hearing his father's familiar voice.

EJ's breath caught in his throat when he saw Johnny flinching.

"Johnny," Sami felt concerned. "What's-?"

"Son," EJ tried again.

"No," Johnny shook his head, eyes wide. Without saying anything else Johnny jumped off of the couch and raced for the stairs.

EJ should have expected at least one of his children to react this way. After all, their mother was Samantha Brady.

'_They're all dramatic,'_ EJ knew. _'I just didn't realize how painful it would be.'_

EJ wanted all three of the children to respond the way Allie and Sydney did. He wanted them to jump into his arms and tell him how much they missed him.

'_But that isn't realistic,'_ EJ tried to tell himself. _'Johnny is like me after all. He would react the same way I would.'_

Without saying a word Will and Alex both got up and followed after Johnny.

"He just needs a few minutes," Sami reassured EJ, moving closer to him. She touched his lower back, "He took everything so hard."

"I know," EJ nodded. Squeezing the girls, EJ added, "I told you I would do whatever it took, however long it takes."

"Don't ever leave us again," Sydney repeated. "Please, Daddy."

"Daddy's not going anywhere," EJ promised. "Never ever again, sweetheart."

* * *

Alex dashed up the stairs, long legs letting him catch up to Johnny before he could slam the door and wake up Ari.

Johnny, realizing he couldn't slam anything, groaned loudly before throwing himself on his bed face-first.

"Hey," Will said closing the door behind him to give them privacy.

Alex and Will sat down together at the end of Johnny's bed. When Johnny didn't say anything to them they decided to wait a few minutes to get him to talk. Johnny always told them in the end.

Will grabbed Alex's hand and squeezed. They both knew this reaction was coming but it didn't make it any easier.

Johnny sat up after a few long moments. He pulled his knees to his chest and said in a low voice, "Did you know we all forgot the day dad died?"

"What?" Will's forehead creased in confusion.

"It was last month and none of us even noticed," Johnny explained. "We were so busy thinking about weddings. We didn't even realize it. I didn't even realize it."

Will hadn't even noticed. He knew EJ died in October but Johnny was right.

'_We were all too focused on the ceremony that we didn't even register the date,'_ Will thought sadly.

"I wrote the date on my work at school," Johnny added. "All day, I wrote it down and I didn't even realize. I know what day he died," Johnny's eyes watered. "I used to think about it all the time. And this year I didn't even think about it at all. Why didn't I care?"

"You were busy," Will said simply. "It was a good thing that you weren't dwelling on it anymore."

"My father is dead," Johnny's face wrinkled in confusion, "Was dead. I-I don't know anymore."

"It's OK, bud," Alex immediately answered.

"He's dead," Johnny continued. "And I didn't even remember. None of us remembered. Why didn't we remember?"

"You did remember," Will insisted as Johnny curled into himself. "It's in the little things. I know you think about him a lot. You don't need to spend all day, every day thinking about him."

"Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?" Johnny looked up at Will, teary-eyed.

"No," Will shook his head and moved closer on Johnny's bed. "You can miss someone without dedicating your life to thinking about them. We all know you love him. We know you do and now," Will carefully said, "He knows that too."

Johnny shook his head and closed his eyes, "He's dead. He's dead. He's dead."

Will and Alex shared a look before Alex moved closer to Johnny too.

Will put his arm around Johnny and pulled him close.

Johnny shoved his head against Will's chest and started sobbing. "He's dead," Johnny repeated. "He's supposed to be dead. I've spent the past two years accepting that he's never coming back."

"Why is he back now?" Johnny demanded. "Why did he leave us?"

"He didn't want to leave," Will explained. "He would never want to leave you. You know that."

"I thought I knew that," Johnny sniffled, tears staining Will's shirt. "He left us and we were all alone for so long."

Alex put his hand on Johnny's back and rubbed it like he would with Ari. In all the time he'd known Johnny, Alex had never seen him cry, not once. He had seen Johnny get knocked on his ass playing football and he didn't sniffle. One time Alex had to drive Johnny to an urgent care to get stitches on his foot when he stepped on some glass. Johnny laughed it off, insisting to his sisters and Ari that he was perfectly fine. There was nothing to worry about.

'_I guess I'm used to Johnny being tough,'_ Alex thought as Johnny cried and clung to Will. _'But he's just a kid. Kids should cry. Why didn't Johnny ever cry?'_

"I did everything I could," Johnny told them, "To make sure they were all OK. I had to make sure the girls were OK. Then I had to make sure you and Ari were OK."

"I know," Will revealed as he ran his hands through Johnny's thick hair. "You did such a good job. You were so good to us, every day."

"I tried so hard," Johnny added. "I tried to take care of everyone."

"You did well, kid," Alex praised.

"Why is he back now?" Johnny whispered. "Where did he go?"

Will knew he needed to tell Johnny the truth. Johnny had proved that he was responsible enough to know the truth. Unlike the girls, who were just happy to have EJ back, Johnny wanted to know how and why.

Alex gave Will a tiny, supportive smile.

Will took a deep breath before telling Johnny, "EJ, your dad, he was shot and we were all certain he was dead. Even he thought that it was the end. A few weeks ago Uncle Chad found out that your grandfather hired some sort of doctor to fix him."

"Why didn't he tell us?" Johnny asked desperately.

"I'm sure he didn't know if it would work," Will reasoned. "He wouldn't want to get your hopes up."

Alex cleared his throat, "Chad said that one of the first things EJ asked for was your mom and you kids."

Johnny pulled away from Will to look over his shoulder at Alex, "Yeah?"

"Yep," Alex confirmed.

"As soon as he could move," Will told Johnny, "He made it all the way over here. He wanted to see you right away. He's been looking forward to this the whole time."

"You saw him earlier?" Johnny questioned as he rubbed at both eyes.

Will grabbed Johnny's fists to get them away from his eyes. Will had made an appointment with Johnny's doctor to get his prosthetic checked out. He didn't need Johnny touching his eyes and getting them infected before then though.

"I talked to him for a while," Will nodded. "Mom was afraid to see him. She thought it might have been a trick. So, she sent me to see him first."

"Wh-what did he say?" Johnny wondered.

"I asked him a few questions to make sure it was him," Will stated. "I wasn't going to let him near mom if he wasn't. Just like I wouldn't let him near you if I didn't think he was serious."

Johnny sniffled, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. He had learned ever since they moved to Las Angeles to keep his emotions under control. He could hold everything inside of him until he was alone.

Johnny had to be strong. He had to make sure his sisters were OK. He had to take care of Allie when she realized that Lucas wasn't everything she wanted in a father. He had to take care of Sydney when she wanted their father to check her room for monsters. Johnny needed to take care of his mother because she was so fragile without their father around.

'_And I had to take care of Will and Ari,'_ Johnny remembered. _'Because they were so sad and lost when they moved in. But at least they found Alex.' _

'_Alex made Will and Ari whole,'_ Johnny thought. _'Maybe my daddy will do that for us now.'_

Johnny closed his eyes and counted down from ten like his therapist taught him. He knew his therapist didn't think it was healthy for him to try to take on so much responsibility. Johnny had slowly been easing up, spending more time with his friends and less time at home.

The news though that his much beloved father was actually alive was almost too much for Johnny. It had taken just about the entirety of the two years his father was gone for him to accept that he was dead. He had finally boxed up his father's old clothes and donated them. He was moving on, they all were.

'_But isn't this what I wanted? I wanted him to come back for so long,'_ Johnny's lower lip wobbled.

"Is he going to leave again?" Johnny asked looking up at Will and Alex.

"I don't think so," Alex said. "I'm pretty sure he isn't going anywhere now."

"OK," Johnny rubbed his sweaty palms on the knees of his jeans before standing up. "I want, um, I want, can we go downstairs now?"

"Sure," Will offered before standing up as well.

"Will you go with me?" Johnny questioned, biting his lower lip.

"What else were we going to do?" Alex asked teasingly. "Let's go, kid," Alex put his arm around Johnny and shoved him towards the door.

* * *

EJ sat with Allie cuddled up on one side and Sydney on the other. Both girls had spent the entire time clinging onto him, never letting him go.

On one hand EJ was thrilled that both girls were so willing to welcome him back. EJ loved that they were overjoyed. But, he was rather concerned about Johnny's reaction.

EJ knew it was not going to be a smooth transition into their newly established family. However, he had not anticipated his son being so unhappy. Also, EJ was rather surprised that Alexander went with William to help comfort his son. He had not anticipated that.

Sami sat across from EJ and her girls with a wide smile on her face. She knew that Johnny was in good hands so she wasn't worried. Sami appreciated Will and Alex and how close they were to Johnny. Being the only boy in a house full of girls was hard on Johnny. Will and Alex helped keep him sane. Therefore, Sami knew if anyone could talk to Johnny about what he was feeling now it would be those two.

Out of all three of her younger children Johnny was affected by EJ's death the most. Johnny, Allie, and Sydney all still went to visit with their therapist once a month. Johnny, though, was the one who the therapist was most concerned about. Johnny felt like he had to take on extra responsibilities without EJ around.

At first Sami let Johnny do whatever he wanted. If that's what he needed to heal Sami wasn't going to stop him. However, as time went by Johnny kept things going. He relented on some things but others he was resolute.

Will and Alex were allowed to help with the yardwork but only Johnny was to touch the pool. Will or Alex tackled major projects such as checking on the air conditioner or the plumbing. Johnny was always following them around so he knew what to do next time.

Above all else though Sami knew Johnny missed EJ. She knew that once Johnny realized that EJ was here to stay he would warm up to him.

Almost on cue, Johnny, Will and Alex came down the stairs.

EJ sat up straighter but kept his arms wrapped around the girls. He needed to be patient and wait for Johnny to come to him.

Johnny glanced at Will and Alex quickly before moving closer to his father.

'_My father,'_ Johnny thought cautiously. _'Looks like my father, sounds like my father.'_

Johnny took another step closer. He could see how content his sisters looked cuddled against him. They didn't react the way he did. They took one look at their alleged father and threw themselves into his arms. They were all too happy to have him back. They didn't care about anything else at all.

Before Johnny knew it he was standing in front of EJ, toe-to-toe. Johnny stared at EJ's face taking in every line, shadow and dip.

'_He looks the same,'_ Johnny decided. _'Looks like how I remembered.'_

Johnny inhaled sharply before throwing himself into EJ's arms and crawling on his lap.

"Daddy," Johnny whispered, arms wrapped around his neck.

"It's alright," EJ replied as he rested his cheek on the top of Johnny's hair. "You can be mad all you want."

Johnny pulled away, just enough to look at his father's face. _'Is it my father? Is he real?'_

He looked at his father's eyes. _'They look the same. He looks at me the same.'_

"I am mad at you," Johnny decided. "I am so mad at you."

"I know you are," EJ understood. He could see it in his son's face.

From what Samantha had told EJ, Johnny had taken over his responsibilities. A part of EJ was proud of his son. Proud of his son for taking care of his mother and sisters. But EJ knew his son was too young for that.

'_Too young to deal with this,'_ EJ stared at his son. Not for the first time since he woke up EJ cursed himself for ever going to that meeting in the park.

'_I'm EJ DiMera,'_ EJ thought. _'How could that low rent hick outsmart me?'_

"You can be mad at me for as long as you want," EJ said. "But I'm not leaving you ever again."

Johnny didn't know if he believed that yet. He wanted to try though. He wanted to believe that more than anything.

Instead of answering, Johnny laid his head on his father's chest. He closed his eyes and listened to the steady heartbeat.

'_Now I know why Ari does this to Will all the time,'_ Johnny thought. _'Now I know why it calms her down.'_

Allie and Sydney curled back into EJ. None of them had any intention of moving for the rest of the night.

The moment Johnny relaxed against EJ, Sami was out of her seat and next to them as well.

EJ closed his eyes, relishing the moment.

* * *

"Well," Alex said once he and Will made their way into the kitchen, alone. "That was uncomfortable for me."

"Everything is uncomfortable for you," Will countered, "Except me."

"That's true," Alex conceded. "Still."

"You just don't like emotional scenes," Will reminded him. "Plus, you don't like EJ either."

"Also true," Alex nodded. He moved to take Will into his arms and kissed him. "I saw you looking a little misty eyed though."

"It's different for me," Will rested his forehead on Alex's shoulder. "Every emotion you could have for a person I've felt for EJ."

Alex frowned, "That better not mean what I think it does."

Will snorted, "I think if I was ever in love with him you would know by now. You know everything about me."

"I'm just double checking," Alex informed Will. "I wouldn't even know what to do with that information."

"That's a step too far in the dysfunctional category," Will acknowledged.

"Kids seemed OK for the most part," Alex remarked a moment later. "The girls' reaction was expected and so was Johnny's."

"Mom's too," Will agreed. He stepped away from Alex and peeked back into the living room. Seeing everyone cuddled up together, Will turned back to Alex. "Things are going to be weird now though."

"There's a strange man in the house," Alex shrugged going for nonchalant.

"A strange man that you want to go over and rip away from everyone," Will smiled. He knew what Alex was thinking, how hard it was for Alex to deal with change.

"Pretty much," Alex admitted.

Crossing his arms, Alex confessed, "This is the first time I've ever been in a family without strings. I'm not here to keep up appearances. Everyone in there actually wants me around. It's still a novelty."

"I know," Will grabbed both of Alex's hands. "I know how much everyone means to you."

"It's not like my childhood was awful," Alex added. "I know that Adrienne loved me in a way. It's just different being surrounded with people that love me unconditionally. It's not just you or Ari," Alex squeezed Will's hands and bit his lip. "It's all of them."

"That's not going to change," Will promised Alex. "Just because EJ's around isn't going to change how anyone feels about you."

Alex moved his lips around, "I know that. It's not even like I want to be in EJ's shoes or whatever. I'm not their father figure. But it's still weird for me. I don't know how to explain it right."

"I think you're forgetting who you're talking to," Will reminded Alex. "I've always gotten you."

Alex leaned forward and kissed the side of Will's head.

The two stood near each other, finding comfort in each other's arms.

"I guess we should figure something out for dinner," Alex finally said after seeing the time.

"Make something or order something?" Will questioned.

"Make," Alex decided. He needed something to distract himself from the unshakable feeling he was going to be forgotten.

* * *

"Am I doing this right?" Alex asked with a frown.

"Are you stirring everything up?" Will shot back as he concentrated on dicing some vegetables.

"Yes," Alex answered with a nod.

"Then yeah," Will tried not to sound too amused. "You're doing it right."

"I have a question," Will said a moment later.

"Shoot," Alex suggested. Without being told Alex moved over to let Will stand next to him at the stove.

Will dropped the vegetables into the pan. "Well, those pictures we took this week. What are we going to do with them?"

Alex smirked, a vivid reminder of those pictures in his mind.

"I'm thinking," Alex slipped his hand into the back of Will's pocket. "I'll develop them and then we can look at them over and over again."

"No showing other people, right?" Will flashed Alex a bashful grin.

"Aw," Alex teased. "You weren't so shy when you demanded I take a picture of when I was inside of you."

"Shut up," Will half hissed, half laughed. He didn't want anyone overhearing that.

"That's different," Will argued. "I could somewhat handle everyone seeing the other pictures of me. Those ones were at least artistic. The new ones are just straight up dirty."

"Anything can look artistic if I develop it in black and white," Alex joked. Seeing Will's pout, Alex licked his lips and said, "No one is going to see them but us. Some things I am not willing to share."

Alex turned Will until they were facing each other. After he put his other hand on Will's butt, Alex assured Will. "I don't need anyone else seeing how good you look during sex."

"Just good?" Will narrowed his eyes at Alex.

Alex beamed; he loved it when Will got cocky. "Oh you know it's more than good. Why do you think it took us three tries to get the pictures to come out right? Someone was distracting me."

Will crinkled his nose. He felt confident in himself now.

'_But hearing Alex compliment me still makes me want to stutter and blush,_' Will bit his lip. He moved forward and kissed Alex soundly.

Suddenly sentimental, Will pulled back from the kiss and cupped one of Alex's cheeks.

Alex stared into Will's bright blue eyes. He knew that look in Will's eyes.

'_He's going to say something that makes me want to punch someone then never let him go,'_ Alex thought.

Running his thumb along Alex's sharp cheekbone, Will said, "I've never felt about anyone the way I feel about you."

Alex already knew that. He'd known that for a long time.

'_Just like Will knows I feel the same way,'_ Alex felt certain.

"After getting divorced and being alone," Will continued staring at Alex softly. "I thought there was no way anyone would ever love me."

Alex wanted to interrupt but Will didn't give him the change.

"I know that's stupid now but back then," Will glanced over at the stove to check on the food. "Back then I was convinced that if he didn't love me no one could. That I was too screwed up. That what I did was unforgiveable and unredeemable. That anyone I would ever meet would take one look at me and just know to stay away."

Will licked his lips, "And then I met you."

Alex used his grip on Will's bottom to pull him closer.

"Even when you just wanted to sleep with me," Will admitted, "You looked at me in a way no one ever had. You see me."

"You see me too," Alex replied in a low voice.

Will smiled and nodded. Alex didn't need to say anything else. Will understood him perfectly.

Alex didn't do long speeches or fancy declarations of love. However, what Alex did do meant more to Will than any words ever could.

Alex showed Will how much he meant when he would bring Will a cup of coffee while he was writing without being asked. Or when Will would see someone flirting with Alex and Alex never even noticed. Or, like earlier, Alex would put Ari down for a nap without thinking about it.

Will didn't need proclamations when every look, word, and touch from Alex said how in love he was.

'_Alex married me. He's committed to me,'_ Will reminded himself as he kissed Alex once more. _'Every part of him is with me and every part of me is with him.'_

Alex leaned his forehead against Will's and closed his eyes. He pulled one hand from Will's backside to brush against the ring on Will's finger.

Will felt his heart skip a few beats. "I love you," Will breathed.

"Love you too," Alex promised.

The two were unaware that they had a few eavesdroppers looking in on their display.

Allie and Sydney both put their hands over their hearts and sighed.

Johnny crossed his arms. He didn't know if he wanted to smack that hand away from his brother or smile.

"See," Sami whispered in EJ's ear.

EJ nodded. He did see. He didn't know anything about William's new relationship but he could see them now.

'_They're in love and happy,'_ EJ realized.

'_I need to speak with William and Alexander,'_ EJ knew. _'If I want to be a member of this family I have to ensure I know them all.' _

Sensing they were being watched Will turned to see his mom, siblings, and EJ.

"Can I help you?" Will asked unable to keep the smile off his face.

"Will and Alex sittin' in a tree," Sydney started singing as she grabbed her daddy's hand and pulled him into the kitchen.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G," Allie finished taking EJ's other hand.

"I don't think you want to finish the rest of that song," Alex warned. "Our story isn't PG."

Johnny walked by Will and Alex. He elbowed Alex in the arm, strategically making him let go of Will's butt.

Alex gave Johnny an appraising look before loudly smacking Will on the butt.

Johnny casually put his hand near the counter. Right next to it was where Will left his knife and a cutting board.

Alex put both hands up and turned back to the stove.

'_I'm legitimately going to be knifed one of these days,'_ Alex thought.

Before anyone could say anything else they heard tiny footsteps on the stairs.

Ari walked into the kitchen, eyes barely open, and her hair looking like a rat's nest.

Just like always whenever she woke up for a nap, Ari went to the cabinet with the glasses. She had her own special cup that said 'Princess Arianna' on it.

After retrieving the cup Ari stood on her tippy toes to fill up the cup with ice and water out of the refrigerator. She took a refreshing gulp before noticing everyone was staring at her. That and a tall strange man was in the middle of the kitchen.

'_Not strange,'_ Ari tilted her head to the side. _'He looks like the guy in the pictures. That's grandma's husband, Johnny and Allie's dad. He's dead.'_

"Grandma, there's a dead guy in your kitchen," Ari said as she walked over to her daddy and her Alex.

Alex snorted. _'Damn, I love this kid.'_

"What's for dinner?" Ari asked as she crawled up on top of the counter to get a better look.

"Stir-fry," Will answered. "How was the nap?"

"OK," Ari shrugged. "Grandma," Ari repeated, "Dead guy."

"He's not dead," Sami shook her head in amusement.

"Yes he is," Ari insisted. "You told me. Is he a ghost? Is it like with the Monster High dolls?"

"I don't like those things," Alex interrupted. "They're creepy looking."

"He's not a ghost," Sami argued. She walked over and picked Ari up. Ari needed to be properly introduced to EJ.

"Oh," Ari nodded. "He's a zombie. Sorry," she told him when Sami stopped in front of him. "You cannot eat my brain. You can have Alex's though."

"Hey," Alex complained.

"Why do you know that?" Will asked a little worried.

"Never mind," Ari sing-songed.

EJ could scarcely believe that this loud, abrasive girl was the baby he left behind. He remembered seeing Samantha hold little Arianna for the first time. Samantha was so proud and awed by her granddaughter.

'_And look at her now,'_ EJ felt a large smile play across his lips.

He wondered for a moment how she got to be so blunt and loud spoken before realizing who her family was.

'_With William as a father and living in Samantha's house it was only a matter of time,'_ EJ realized. _'That and her mother is no wilting flower.'_

"Ari," Sami adjusted her stance. It was much harder to hold Ari now than it used to. "This is EJ."

Ari stared at EJ before putting her hand out to shake.

EJ shook her tiny little hand.

Ari took her hand back and moved to rest it on EJ's cheek. "You don't feel dead."

"I can assure you, princess," EJ smoothly replied. "I am not dead."

"Your voice is funny," Ari responded. "I like it. Say more words."

"Did you know," EJ bopped Arianna on the nose, "That I knew you when you were a tiny little baby?"

"Me?" Ari questioned. "Hmm, grandma said something like that once. She said you would love me if you were around."

"I'm sure I will," EJ answered. He glanced at William and Alexander. He wasn't going to promise anything if the two decided he was not to interact with their daughter.

"I'm very loveable," Ari nodded. "But I have certain standards you must live up to."

EJ lifted his eyebrows, "Is that so?"

"She's high maintenance," Johnny revealed.

"Oh my god," Allie agreed. "She's the worst."

"It's true," Ari smiled. She looked over her shoulder to see her daddy and Alex. They both had weird looks on their faces.

Ari's smile slipped off her face. Ari started wiggling in her grandma's arms to get down, "Why are you back now?"

"I was sick for a while," EJ gave the simplest explanation. "But now I'm back, for good."

"Hmm," Ari said. She didn't take too kindly to anyone leaving their family or people going in and out of her life. "We'll see about that."

* * *

Everyone ate dinner in a way that was both familiar and strange all at the same time. It wasn't too far from their normal family dinners except for EJ's presence. EJ was quiet for the most part. He observed more than anything else.

Now, everyone was sitting in the living room. Despite the nap, Ari already looked ready for bed.

Ari collapsed onto her daddy's chest and sighed happily.

EJ, sitting next to William, looked at Ari's sleepy face as she rested against Will's chest.

"What are you doing?" EJ quietly asked her.

"Listening to my heart," Ari explained. "Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump."

"Your heart?" EJ glanced at William quickly before focusing on Ari again.

"My heart," Ari closed her eyes. "Daddy said it's mine. Sometimes I share with my Alex."

"Your Alex?" EJ pressed his lips together.

"Mmm hmm," Ari yawned widely. "This is my heart and that's my Alex."

"Well your heart says it's time for bed," Will declared smoothing down her hair.

Ari wrinkled her nose. She wasn't a fan of the idea.

"Stay here," Ari complained.

Will wasn't sure if he wanted to leave Ari with his mom and EJ tonight. He knew it was part of the routine but he was a bit apprehensive with EJ around. He trusted his mother but he wasn't sure if he trusted EJ yet especially with his daughter.

Alex sat on Will's other side. He too was nervous about leaving Ari tonight. He knew Sami would take care of her but he didn't know about EJ.

Sydney, sitting on EJ's lap, reached over and touched Will's hand. "You and Alex should stay too."

"Yeah," Allie said from where she was sitting on the floor coloring. "Besides you promised to help me with my science project. We need all day to do it."

"Daddy," Ari whined. "Stay."

Will and Alex looked at each other before they both nodded.

"Sure, baby doll," Will said. "But you're still going to bed now."

"I need my story," Ari reminded him and Alex. "I need lots of stories."

"You get one story," Alex offered as he and Will stood up with Ari.

"It needs to be about the ghost zombie king," Ari sleepily replied. "That makes the queen happy."

"I'm way ahead of you kid," Alex tugged at her hair teasingly. The three went up the stairs after Ari said her goodnights.

* * *

Ari, only half awake, called out to Will and Alex before they left her room.

"Daddy," Ari said, "Do I have to like the new ghost?"

"He's not a ghost," Will reminded her, going to sit back on her bed. "But no, you don't have to like him."

"Alex doesn't like him," Ari mumbled. "That means I can't like him."

"Why can't you like him?" Alex frowned, sitting next to Will.

"Makes my Alex sad," Ari sighed. She rolled onto her side, facing away from Alex and Will. "Can't like him."

Will kissed the top of her head. He followed Alex out into the hallway.

"She's very intuitive about you," Will remarked once they were alone.

"Apparently," Alex murmured.

Will wrapped Alex into his arms and kissed his cheek. "Things are going to be different but nothing major will change."

"Those guys are a family in a way we aren't," Alex defended. "I've seen all the pictures your mom has around. You aren't even in most of them. How are they family pictures," Alex mocked, "Without you?"

"OK," Will granted, "That's true. But that was then, Alex. This is now. All of us were different back when EJ was alive."

"The kids were smaller, mom was a hurricane of destruction, and I didn't even know you," Will explained. "Look at us now."

Alex stared at the ground, uncomfortable. He hated that he was this upset about everything. He hated that Ari so easily picked up on it. He hated that someone big from Will's life was literally back from the dead and Alex couldn't get over himself enough to comfort Will.

"Hey," Will whispered, lifting Alex's chin so they could look in each other's eyes. "Nothing is going to change the way everyone feels about you. They're all distracted now. It's to be expected. You're still important."

"I know that theoretically," Alex admitted. "It's just, I don't know."

Will let go of Alex's chin. He knew with some subjects it worked best if Alex didn't have to look at him.

Alex hid his face in Will's neck. With his words slightly muffled against Will's skin, Alex disclosed, "Sometimes it doesn't feel real. This, being here, having this."

Will nodded and cupped the back of Alex's head.

"I'm afraid I'll either fuck it up myself or it'll be taken away," Alex sighed. "Now it feels like it's going to be both."

"That's not going to happen," Will promised. "Ever."

Alex closed his eyes painfully tight. "If this was two years ago I would be punching myself for caring about this."

"It this was two years ago you wouldn't be able to admit you were scared," Will pointed out.

"In the eighteen months you've known me you made me soft," Alex weakly argued.

"No," Will shook his head. "You've always been like this. You just tried to hide it for so long you forgot."

Alex didn't want to admit Will was right. Instead he said, "Tell me something nice, something to distract me."

Will thought for a few moments. Clearing his throat, Will revealed, "I used to brag about you all the time at work."

"What?" Alex pulled away from Will's neck.

"Yeah," Will chuckled and felt his face warming up. "Um, yeah, before I quit."

"Bragged about what?" Alex wondered.

"Um," Will bit his lip, "Everything?"

"Everything?" Alex smirked. He began to see what Will was saying.

"Yeah," Will continued, face heated. "Because you're so good looking and talented. Plus you love Ari so much and you'd always come by and visit me. Everyone always wanted to know about you. I think at first they didn't think you were real. They thought I was making you up."

"Is that so?" Alex questioned feeling much better.

"I think most of them were amazed that you wanted to be with me," Will reluctantly admitted.

Alex frowned, "Those people are fucking morons."

"I know that," Will shrugged. "I know why you're with me now. But in the beginning I didn't get why you wanted me either."

Alex hated that. That was one of the things that he wished he could change about their relationship. Alex never wanted Will to feel insecure about anything having to do with them. He knew Will didn't have that problem now. But if Alex could he would go back in time and rip all those thoughts out of Will's head.

"You're you," Will said. "And I'm me. We're different but I think we're better together."

"There's no thinking involved," Alex insisted. "It's a fact, beautiful."

Will rolled his eyes at the compliment but still felt pleased.

"Don't roll those eyes at me," Alex joked. He grabbed Will's face and kissed him. "You're the only person I've ever wanted this with," Alex gestured to the space around them.

"Somehow I can't picture you caring about your place in a family with anyone else you hooked up with," Will smiled.

Alex laughed for a long time. It wasn't particularly funny but Alex realized Will was right.

'_Before and now,'_ Alex settled down. _'I didn't care about this with anyone else. And I am not giving this shit up for anyone.' _

When Alex was calm he stated, "I love you. I don't know if I tell you that enough but I really fucking do."

"I know you do," Will grinned. "You say it more than enough though."

* * *

The two walked back downstairs and sat down on the couch. Both tried to act as they normally would even if EJ's presence made it strained.

"Oh good," Sami said when she noticed them. "You're back. I was ready to send Johnny up to separate you."

EJ watched on in amusement. He found it endlessly entertaining that his young son appeared so protective of his older brother.

"We were just talking," Will insisted.

"Suuuuure," Sydney teased still sitting on her father's lap. She was reluctant to leave his side.

Alex reached past Will and poked Sydney right under her ribcage where she was ticklish.

"Hey," Sydney giggled. She attempted to squirm away from Alex's fingers.

Alex continued his onslaught for a few more moments before pulling away.

"Mom," Allie said from her spot on the floor. "Can we watch a movie?"

"No princesses," Johnny complained.

"But," Sydney tried to counter.

"I'm with him," Alex agreed.

"Fine," Sami smiled at her bickering children. "We'll get everything ready."

Johnny and Allie got up to get some drinks. Alex found the remote for the TV and set up the blue ray player.

"Go put on your pajamas," Sami ordered Sydney before going to make some popcorn.

Sydney stood up, "Don't go anywhere, Daddy. No moving."

"I'll be right here," EJ promised.

"No special job for you?" EJ questioned once he noticed William didn't move.

"Alex and I take turns," Will shrugged. "He's doing it now to make sure one of the girls doesn't sneak in a princess movie."

When the movie started EJ was surprised to note that Allie pushed William and Alexander apart to sit between them. Johnny relaxed with his feet in Samantha's lap.

'_Everyone is so comfortable and has their own place,'_ EJ realized. _'I need to do whatever I can to find my own place with them.' _

Glancing over to the other side of the couch, EJ saw that Alexander had his arm over the back of the couch. His fingers were massaging the back of William's neck.

EJ thought back to the strange looks Arianna had been shooting him. He recalled the weekly tradition the children had of staying with their brother.

'_Brothers,'_ EJ amended.

EJ knew it wasn't going to be easy regaining his children and wife's trust but all in all they would be more forgiving.

'_If I really want to become a member of this family I need to know all of them.'_ EJ looked over at William and Alexander again. _'If I can get them to trust me than I'll be that much closer to the rest.'_

* * *

Author's note:

EJ and Alex are two sides of the same coin here. They're both insecure and envious of the others presence in their family.

Next chapter is going to be mainly about EJ getting to know Will, Alex and Ari.

I'll admit that this chapter was hard to write with the past week on DOOL. I tried to interject as much as I could about the life I wish Will could be leading.

Please let me know what you thought.

Thank you for reading!

As always a big thank you to iluvh0rs3s. I always appreciate your support and insight. I wouldn't have gotten through this last chapter or the past week without you.

*Quote from Alice in Wonderland


	18. Chapter 18

"Do we have to go to school?" Sydney asked her mommy. She batted her long, dark lashes and jutted out her lower lip.

"Yes," Sami insisted. At this point she was immune to puppy dog eyes. "Everything is going to stay the same. That means going to school."

"What if he leaves?" Allie questioned chewing on her thumb nail.

"I'm not going anywhere," EJ walked into the kitchen and pulled Allie's thumb from her mouth. "You still need to go to school though. I'll be back when you get home."

Johnny glanced at his father suspiciously. He wanted to believe his father but he wasn't sure if he could. Something in the back of Johnny's mind kept niggling at him. It was warning him not to get attached.

'_Who knows what he'll do when we're not here?'_ Johnny thought. _'He could decide he'd rather be in Salem. He could decide to go back to our old life and leave us behind.'_

"Finish getting ready," Sami ordered. "Shoes and bags downstairs in five. And don't forget to brush your teeth!"

Allie and Sydney ran upstairs. Johnny continued to stare at his father.

"What are you going to do while we're gone?" Johnny demanded.

EJ grasped his coffee cup. "I was thinking maybe I would visit your brother," EJ answered.

EJ spent Sunday with the entire family. The entire _new_ family. The whole experience was surreal to EJ. It didn't feel real.

EJ realized in that moment that he didn't know anything about his family. The time he spent with his children was wonderful. But EJ still didn't feel like he was really there. He didn't feel accepted.

'_And I know exactly why that is,'_ EJ thought.

EJ had spoken with William throughout the day. But Arianna and Alexander had kept their distance. EJ didn't know how things had changed so drastically for Will but they had. Just like EJ knew if he wanted to be a true member of the family he needed to know all of his family.

'_To get to Arianna and Alexander I have to get through William first,'_ EJ realized. So that's what he planned to do.

EJ wasn't worried about getting along with Will. They had gotten past worse things during the course of their relationship. Things had been tense when EJ died.

'_But I forgave him for shooting me. He forgave me for Johnny's conception so anything is possible,'_ EJ knew.

"Really?" Johnny frowned. "Why are you going to be with Will and Alex?"

EJ's lips curled up in a sad smile. He had already forgotten that Johnny was that close to Alex.

"Because of that," EJ said. "Because you think of both of them as your brother and I don't even know who Alexander is."

"He works when we're at school," Johnny added. "He won't let you around him."

"I know," EJ nodded.

"You have to be around Will first," Johnny whispered. He didn't know why he was offering advice. He was still so angry at his father. But he couldn't stop himself from helping. Despite every instinct warning him to keep his guard up he wanted his family back.

'_A little interference never hurt anyone,_' Johnny figured. _'Alex always needs a push in the right direction anyway.'_

EJ looked at Johnny in surprise.

"Alex does whatever Will tells him. He pretends he doesn't but he does," Johnny continued. "Ari does whatever Alex does. You have to start with Will."

Without another word Johnny went upstairs to finish getting ready.

EJ's eyes followed Johnny until he was out of sight.

"See," Sami sat down next to EJ at the kitchen table. "He does care," Sami knew EJ worried about their son.

"Yeah," EJ exhaled loudly. "But he's right. I have to make things right with William and the others."

"You'll love Ari and Alex," Sami encouraged EJ, rubbing his back. "I literally cannot imagine my life without them."

EJ chuckled. "That doesn't make me feel better."

Sami frowned. "Well it should," Sami said. "Because they're the same way. No matter what," Sami continued, "They will come around to the idea of you since the rest of us love you. That's how it works around here."

Sami glanced at the clock and started fiddling with her dress.

"Are you nervous?" EJ questioned. "For your meeting."

"A little," Sami answered.

EJ nodded understandingly. Samantha had explained to him her new business enterprise. EJ knew wedding planning was the perfect job for his wife. She had an uncanny ability for it.

Today Sami had a meeting with her first official client. She had all of her materials together already. But this was not going to be the same as when she assisted Will and Alex. These were strangers. Strangers paying her money to make sure everything was perfect on their wedding day.

'_If all else fails I'll just make the kids do it,'_ Sami figured.

"You have nothing to be nervous about," EJ assured her. He extended his hands and pulled Samantha into his lap.

The familiar position did something to Sami's heart. It was so familiar and comforting in the way she never thought she'd have again.

"You are the most determined human being I've ever met," EJ continued. "This is going to be the best opportunity for you."

Sami nodded. Before she could help herself she threw her arms around EJ and kissed him mid-sentence.

Allie and Sydney stood in the entrance to the kitchen. Their heads bent close together while they giggled happily.

Johnny, backpack slung over his shoulder, took one look at his parents and rolled his eyes. He marched into the kitchen and pushed at his mother's shoulders. "School," he reminded her in a loud voice.

Sami smiled indulgently at EJ. "Come on," she got off his lap. "I can take you to the boys' place after I get the kids to school."

* * *

"You gonna be alright?" Alex asked as he helped get Ari into her jacket.

"Yes," Will gave Alex a curious look. "I can handle being at home alone. That's kind of what I need to write anyway."

"I know that," Alex gruffly responded. "I just meant that," Alex focused on button Ari's sweater, "This is the first time I'm going to work since we got back."

Will smiled softly. _'He really is a big softie.'_

Ari glanced between Alex and her daddy oddly.

"Hey," Will got up from the couch and put his hand on Alex's arm. "I'll be fine. Are you?"

"Of course," Alex rolled his eyes and stood up straight. In a low voice, under his breath, Alex said, "I just got used to spending every minute with you."

Will wrapped one arm around Alex's waist. "Well," he mused, "That was nice. But you know if we had to spend every minute of the day together we'd kill each other eventually."

"I wouldn't kill you," Alex mumbled.

"You'd just disappear for a few hours," Will chuckled. He knew Alex too well for that.

"Fine," Alex admitted. "But I still don't like it."

"But you do like being at work," Will reminded him. "So, you go to work and when you get back I'll make it worth your wild."

"What are you talking about?" Ari demanded. She had her backpack on and was ready to go. With her hands on her hips, Ari's eyes narrowed, "That sounds like he's getting a present. I want a present. Daddy, why does Alex get a present and I don't?"

"Because I'm a good little boy," Alex told her.

Will snorted. "Get out of here," Will ordered with a kiss.

Before Will could back away, Alex placed his hand on the back of Will's neck and held him in place.

Will smiled against Alex's lips.

"I'm gonna tell Ms. Stacey we were late because you wouldn't stop kissing," Ari threatened.

Alex purposely stepped closer to Will and deepened their kiss.

Ari sighed loudly.

Will laughed and stepped away.

"You two need to get going," Will smiled happily. He kissed the top of Ari's head, gave Alex one more peck, and helped them out the door.

'_Now,'_ Will thought, _'I finally have some peace and quiet to write.'_

Will fixed himself another cup of coffee, grabbed his laptop, and sat down at the end of the couch.

Just as Will was getting into a rhythm Will heard a knock on the door.

_'Ari better not have forgotten her book again,_' Will complained. _'She really is going to be late now.'_

Will opened the door. "You're not going to have enough time to go to the coffee shop if you…" Will trailed off. _'Huh.'_

"EJ, what are you doing here?" Will wondered. _'How did he even get here?'_

"I didn't want to be alone in the house all day," EJ explained. "And I think there's a lot for the two of us to discuss. So, Samantha dropped me by."

"What do we need to talk about?" Will shook his head. He wasn't sure how to act around EJ anymore. It used to be so easy but two years was a long time.

"We were friends once," EJ reminded William. "I know that you've lost your trust in me but I want to gain it back. I want to prove to you that I can be the man your mother and siblings deserve."

Will gave EJ a sad look. Will often forgot that to EJ all the hurts and pains from two years ago were still fresh. While everyone else moved on EJ was still stuck in the past.

"Alright," Will said after a few moments of silence. "You can come in. But I have some writing I need to finish. You go look around the house and don't bother me for a while."

* * *

"Are you just going to sit there and watch me?" Will asked. He kept his eyes on his screen but he could feel EJ staring at him.

"I'm observing," EJ answered.

EJ had already taken a tour of the house. He had gazed at every picture on the wall. He even examined the bedrooms and snooped through the medicine cabinet. Now EJ found himself back in the front room with nothing to do but watch William.

"Observing what?" Will shook his head.

"You," EJ shrugged. "You look different."

And Will did. He held his head higher, his back straighter, and his demeanor had lost that frantic edge to it.

"I am different," Will tried to continue typing. Will gave up. "I can't write with you here."

Will slammed his laptop shut and rotated on the couch. Taking a cue from EJ's book, Will just sat and openly stared at him.

EJ felt uncomfortable under the scrutiny.

Will smiled. "You just going to stare at me all day or are you planning on asking me any questions?"

EJ felt a bit disconcerted with this confident version of Will. He was used to a boy who had an air of confidence while inside he was screaming.

'_But this Will isn't faking anything,'_ EJ knew. _'And I need to know why.'_

"What happened to you and Sonny?" EJ asked cautiously. He figured that would be the key to understanding everything.

Will looked at his hands.

"When, before," EJ started again. "Before I left, you and Sonny were just about the only couple in Salem that was happy."

"Things change," Will said simply.

"How?" EJ wondered. He didn't understand how so much could have changed in so little of time.

Will sighed. "A studio wanted to develop mom's life into a story. They wanted me to help them. So Ari and I went to California with them."

EJ nodded, following along.

"I slept with someone else when I was there," Will admitted straight away. He knew, as disturbing as it was that no one could understand this better than EJ.

EJ's eyebrows furrowed. "You slept with someone else?"

He did not anticipate that at all. EJ knew William's views on fidelity and relationships. He just couldn't imagine.

"I'm not proud of it," Will stated. "But it happened. The studio brought in another writer to help me. We spent a lot of time together. He'd compliment me and I don't know. It just made me feel good."

Will licked his lips. "I slept with him. And it turned out that he just wanted my job. So I got fired. Then I did everything I could to forget it ever happened. I convinced myself that it never happened."

"Then what?" EJ was trying to make sense of this. None of this sounded like the William he knew.

'_It sounds like me,'_ EJ felt disconcerted.

"I went back to Salem," Will explained. "I kept my secret. And I got offered an exclusive interview. It was all secret and hush-hush."

Will rolled his eyes thinking about his past self.

"The magazine wanted me to interview this baseball player. He was recovering from a secret surgery," Will revealed. "They didn't want anything to get in the way of him opening up. They made me sign a confidentiality agreement. Plus," Will sighed. "They made me keep my marriage a secret."

"Why the hell would they do that?" EJ frowned.

"I think they suspected something about him," Will admitted. "Now that I think about it they had to of known something."

"Known what?" EJ asked.

"That he was gay," Will answered. "I'm sure you can see where this is going."

"You slept with him too?" EJ couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Oh yeah," Will responded. "Long secret hours in his hotel room asking question after question. He was nice and good looking and paid attention to me."

"I'm sensing a trend," EJ mumbled.

"What?" Will laughed. "That I was a needy, attention seeking whore? Yeah, been there, done that. I know what my flaws were and I've done everything I can to fix them. That's not a problem anymore."

"Anyway," Will continued before EJ could interrupt. "I slept with him once. He wanted to start up something. I didn't. During that time he started opening up about this long-lost love."

Will gave EJ a bitter smile. "You wanna guess who he was talking about?"

"No," EJ sighed. "That's too much of a coincidence. It couldn't possibly…"

"Well it's true," Will snorted. "Apparently they were together a year. Sonny even proposed to him. And he didn't tell me any of it. He didn't tell me that he knew his ex was in town either."

"I take it when Sonny found out about your indiscretions you broke up?" EJ guessed.

"I wish," Will grunted. "He found out about Paul. It was a giant mess. Sonny wanted to try to be together but he never acted like it. Nothing was ever really the same after that."

"So," Will explained. "Everything was imploding around me and I just made everything worse and worse. And no one would help me. They all would just look at me like I was a colossal disappointment. After everything I had seen growing up they all thought I should have been better, smarter."

"No one helped?" EJ whispered.

"They tried," Will disclosed. "They tried but I was so convinced if I just got Paul out of the way I'd be happy. Everything would be fine. But he wouldn't leave and I made a mess of everything. I just," Will looked away from EJ. "I felt like I was lost and alone and screaming for someone to understand. No one would."

"I'm sorry that happened to you," EJ patted William's hand. "Not that it's any consolation but if I were there I'm certain I would have assisted you in any way I could."

Will smiled. "Yeah, somehow I get the feeling you would have been the only one that would have understood."

EJ smiled gently. That admission felt surprisingly good.

"What happened after that?" EJ asked.

Will revealed, "Sonny left me to be with Paul. I tried to stick around Salem. But I realized I couldn't raise Ari there. I wasn't," Will tried to figure out a way to explain himself. "I knew that if I stayed there, if I saw them together, I would keep self-destructing. I would have spiraled out of control."

"Ari didn't deserve that," Will added. "She deserves a stable, happy father. I was anything but that in Salem. Ari was anything but that. So, I packed us up and moved in with mom. It took a long time to get both of us back on our feet."

"Why was Arianna so upset?" EJ questioned. "She couldn't have been that old."

"She wasn't," Will nodded. "But she feels things. She picks up on things. Ari knew how upset I was. I'm kind of an awful actor so," Will shrugged.

"Plus," Will frowned, "When Sonny left he didn't just leave me. He left her too."

"What do you mean?" EJ sat up straighter.

"He wouldn't see her, talk to her," Will's lips curled up in a snarl. "She'd cry and scream for him and he wouldn't see her. She wouldn't sleep, hardly ate. She would follow me around. She was so afraid for so long that if she couldn't see me it meant I was gone and never coming back."

"I couldn't raise Ari there," Will finished.

"Then you made the right choice," EJ assured Will.

"I know I did," Will confidently replied. "It took a long time but Ari is better now. There was a bit of a setback a few months ago but now we're on the right track."

"Would the setback have anything to do with you seeing Sonny's brother?" EJ wondered.

"Not really," Will said. "She didn't like Alex at first, at all. She saw him as someone that was trying to take me away from her. It took a few months but they started getting closer."

"And now she adores him," EJ supplied. He had observed the two together over the weekend. Arianna's eyes always lit up around Will and Alex.

Will smiled. "Yeah and he loves her too. He likes to play like he's big and bad but he's not."

EJ noticed Will's features softened when talking about Alexander and Arianna.

"You really love him, don't you?" EJ stated.

"Of course," Will nodded. "It wasn't ideal, finding out who his family was. But Alex isn't like the Kiriakis family you're used to. OK," Will made a clicking sound with his tongue. "He does have that 'I'm so much better than you' attitude they're all born with but he's different."

"Sure," EJ mused.

"He is," Will insisted. "Once you get to know him you'll see."

"What happened when everyone found out you were seeing each other?" EJ demanded. Now that Will was opening up EJ felt himself slipping into their old relationship.

'_I would ask and William would answer,_' EJ recalled.

"We kept it a secret first," Will said. "Not because we were ashamed but because Alex wasn't close to his family then. The twins, Joey and Vic, they came to visit Alex. They accidentally found out. Joey was a little weirded out but he accepted me right away. Vic completely hated me."

"Really?" EJ hummed.

Will nodded. "Oh yeah. Thought I was a giant whore. Apparently because Victor, Justin, Adrienne and everyone had been telling them that. We get along now though."

"After the twins found out we figured it was time to tell Sonny," Will continued. "His response was less than enthusiastic."

"What happened?" EJ asked.

"He flew here with Adrienne and my dad," Will shook his head. "To convince me to leave poor Alex alone. Because clearly the only reason I could be with Alex was to get back at Sonny."

"You were trying to get your life together and they all assumed you were focused on Sonny?" EJ asked judgmentally.

'_Does Lucas think so little of his own son that he thought such a thing?'_ EJ frowned.

"Basically, yeah," Will rolled his eyes. "It wasn't pretty but it could have been worse."

"Justin found out when he came to visit Alex too," Will moved on. "Justin wasn't happy either. But he's much closer to Alex than Adrienne ever was. Since I meant so much to Alex he was willing to give me another chance."

"It's fairly long and convoluted but it's all worked itself out now," Will finished.

"When did you decide to marry him?" EJ wondered, his mind still buzzing with all the new information.

'_Barely a week,'_ EJ reminded himself. _'I missed everything by a week.'_

"Not that long ago, about a month or so," Will revealed. "It was actually Ari's idea."

"Really?" EJ quirked an eyebrow. From what he had seen of Arianna she was very independent and bossy. He could picture her running around demanding her father be married quite easily.

"The setback I mentioned? It was because I was in a car accident and had to have surgery. Ari didn't handle it very well," Will explained. "She reverted back to clinging to me only now she did it to Alex too. It just got to be too much. Her therapist suggested we go back to Salem and sort of face the past."

"She thought if I was able to show Ari I wasn't afraid," Will continued. "Ari wouldn't be afraid anymore either. That she would finally accept that I wasn't leaving. That it wasn't her fault Sonny left before that either."

"The trip was a success," EJ stated.

"Eventually," Will sighed. "There was a lot of crying and yelling. But in the end she got it. Along with the idea of us getting married in some way."

"Did you just decide that was what you wanted?" EJ was trying to follow along.

"Uh no," Will smiled. "Alex and I both have pretty complicated feelings about marriage. We weren't going to do anything just because Ari wanted it. We found a compromise that worked for us."

Will looked away from EJ quickly. EJ was always one of the few who could see through him.

"Hmm," EJ narrowed his eyes.

Will knew that expression never lead to anything good. Wanting to distract EJ, Will grabbed his laptop.

"Here," Will opened it up and pulled up a file. "These are pictures Johnny took from the ceremony."

During the night the kids spent at their house, Alex and Johnny had spent uploading the pictures. Will insisted Alex put them on Will's laptop too. Will knew Alex would go through and delete the ones he didn't like. But Will wanted all of them.

"Johnny took them?" EJ placed Will's laptop between them.

"Yes," Will explained. "We had the girls say something during the ceremony and Alex showed Johnny how to take pictures. He's actually pretty good at it."

EJ looked through all the pictures, his smile getting wider and wider. Each of his children and Samantha looked exquisite. Arianna looked adorable.

'_And William and Alexander looked handsome and in love,'_ EJ observed. _'I wish I had been there.'_

"I'm sure the children appreciated being a part of your wedding day," EJ said. He glanced at William waiting for a reaction.

"They did," Will agreed. "They all helped us plan it. We wanted them to be a part of it."

"Will," EJ grabbed his attention. "You haven't corrected me any time I've mentioned you being married. Yet your mother insisted you were only in a committed relationship. Why is that?"

Will's lips formed a circle. "Um," Will needed to be more careful. He had forgotten how observant EJ was.

EJ smiled understandingly. He patted William on the back. "That little secret will be safe with me."

'_Alex isn't going to be happy about that,'_ Will thought. _'And I'm going to have to tell him.'_

EJ turned another page in the photo album. Seeing a close up of Sonny's face, EJ frowned. "Why was he there?"

Will shrugged. "Alex and I are past all of that. It was Sonny that needed to realize everything was over. Hopefully this did the trick."

"Why is he making that face?" EJ shook his head.

"Johnny was threatening him," Will smiled. He knew EJ would like that.

"Good," EJ remarked.

EJ continued scrolling through the pictures, pausing at some and laughing at others.

"Who is that you're dancing with?" EJ demanded, pointing at a stranger.

"That would be Paul," Will answered. "Like I said," Will began before EJ could question him, "I'm over that. Things worked out exactly the way they should have. I'm happy with Alex. If Sonny is happy with Paul then good for them."

"That's mature of you," EJ said. But something felt a little off to him.

"Why exactly did you have problems getting that Paul character out of town?" EJ asked doubtfully.

"I didn't tell you?" Will's eyebrows furrowed.

"No," EJ shook his head.

"I found out that John Black is actually Paul's father," Will confessed. "So you know, hard to leave town after that."

"You found out that he was he your husband's long lost lover? And he was also the son of your grandfather-figure? That your entire family rallied behind him and supported him when your husband left you for him?" EJ asked.

Will thought if over, eyes looking towards the ceiling. "Yes," he finally stated.

EJ covered his face with his hand. "Salem has gone downhill since my demise."

Will pushed EJ's shoulder and chuckled. "Well you don't have to worry about that now."

"Why is that?" EJ gave Will a curious look.

"Well we're all here," Will stated. "Salem is a distant memory."

"Right," EJ said after a moment. "Right."

EJ had almost forgotten that fact.

'_Samantha and the children have no connection to Salem now. That means I wouldn't either,'_ EJ reminded himself. _'I wouldn't be around my father, the company, or anything I left behind.'_

EJ looked up at the laptop again to see a family picture staring at him.

'_No,'_ EJ thought. _'You can do this. Nothing is worth losing this, not again.'_

Will shot EJ a look. "Is that going to be a problem?"

"I-," EJ started to say before exhaling. "I don't want it to be a problem but I don't know."

"OK," Will could handle that. At least EJ was telling him the truth. "EJ?"

"Yes," EJ answered.

"If you ever have any doubts about this," Will gestured to the computer. "You have to tell me. You can't just decide something and do whatever you want. You have to tell me."

EJ nodded.

"Because you are not doing anything to hurt them, ever again," Will ordered. "I don't care what it is you are not doing anything."

"Everyone is different now," Will reminded him. "My mom is different now. If you have any schemes or anything running through your head you need to stop it."

"I don't even know what I'm thinking," EJ revealed. "The only thing I am focusing on is my family and how to get them back."

"I'm serious, EJ," Will repeated. "You can't do anything to jeopardize this. You have to be honest about everything. If you don't think you can do this-"

"I'm not going to make promises I can't keep," EJ informed Will. "But if I do feel myself slipping I will come to you."

"OK," Will inhaled and exhaled slowly. "OK, good."

"Now," EJ was desperate to change the subject, "Tell me about what you've been working on."

"It's not much," Will shrugged. "Just a few ideas I'm toying with."

Will saw the time. "You want to go get something to eat?"

* * *

"Daddy," Ari was holding Will's hand as they headed to the car. "The dead guy is in your car."

"I'm aware," Will replied with a smile. "Daddy was spending time with him."

"Why?" Ari frowned.

"Because I haven't seen him in a long time. We used to be friends," Will laughed. "Be nice," Will warned as he opened the door.

Ari climbed into her car seat and greeted, "Hi!"

EJ was taken aback by the greeting. He was expecting to be ignored or to be called something snarky.

"Hello," EJ turned in his seat and replied.

"Are you daddy's friend now?" Ari demanded.

"I'd like to think so," EJ answered.

"But you were gone for so long," Ari said. "How can you be friends?"

"We used to know each other," EJ confessed sadly.

Will sat down in the driver's seat. "That's why we're talking now," Will explained. "Because a lot of time has gone by. We need to get to know each other again."

Ari nodded. _'Daddy is being nice to EJ but Alex doesn't like him. What am I supposed to think?'_

* * *

Sami walked into the house with Sydney and smiled. It still made her heart stop whenever she saw EJ now.

"Hey," Sami called out. "When did you get back?"

"Just a little while ago," EJ answered. "Will and I had a good talk. We went to lunch. Then he picked up Arianna and dropped me off."

"Daddy," Sydney cheered as she leapt into his arms. "I missed you! Did you miss me? We learned about rocks at school. You wanna see?"

"Of course I do," EJ answered.

Sami watched her daughter babble excitedly in EJ's ear.

'_This is right,'_ Sami thought. _'This is how things should be.'_

* * *

"Daddy?" Ari asked as she sat at the dining room table doing her work.

"Yeah?" Will glanced up from where he was making her a snack.

"Why doesn't Alex like EJ?" Ari wondered. It had been bugging her all weekend.

Will was impressed Ari wasn't referring to EJ as a zombie anymore.

"It's complicated," Will told Ari. He grabbed the bowl of fruit he made her and sat next to her at the table.

"I think Alex is just scared though," Will revealed.

"Alex?" Ari frowned. "Alex isn't scared of anything."

Will smiled gently. "Yes he is, baby girl. Alex is afraid of a lot of things. But mostly I think he's afraid that if EJ is around he won't be needed anymore."

"Who wouldn't need him?" Ari demanded. She slammed her pencil on the table. "Tell me right now and I'll-,"

Will covered Ari's clenched fist with his hand. "You are too violent for your own good."

"You know how a long time ago," Will started talking, "Justin and Joey and Vic weren't around very much?"

Ari nodded. She didn't know what that had to do with anything.

"Well," Will continued, "That made Alex feel sad. Because they're his family but they didn't see him very much. He thought that meant they didn't love him."

"But," Will added, "He became a member of our family, right?"

Ari nodded enthusiastically.

"And grandma, Allie, Sydney, and Johnny all love Alex," Will said. "And you and I love Alex. With EJ around Alex is afraid they won't need him anymore. That they won't love Alex as much."

"That's crazy," Ari insisted. "Everyone loves Alex."

"Of course they do," Will agreed. "But that doesn't mean Alex is crazy. Remember when you were afraid that Alex and I were going to leave you?"

Ari nodded.

"We weren't mean to you about it," Will reminded her. "So we aren't going to be mean to Alex."

"OK," Ari said. After thinking for a moment Ari asked, "If EJ's around are they going to love Alex less?"

"Of course not," Will explained. "Everyone loves Alex and EJ. But they love them in different ways."

Ari didn't get it. Will could see the confusion written all over her face.

"It's like how you love Alex and Johnny," Will told Ari. "You love them both but not in the same way, right?"

"No, I guess not," Ari nodded.

"But you still love them," Will pointed out. "You want them both in your life, don't you?"

"Yeah," Ari agreed.

"That's just like with everyone else," Will smiled. "EJ is to them what Alex is to you."

"Oooooh," Ari finally understood. "Does that mean I have to love EJ?"

"You don't have to do anything," Will assured her. "But he's going to be around so it might be a good thing to get to know him. You didn't like Alex at first either. Remember when you tried to take out his eye?"

"He was gonna be like Johnny," Ari giggled.

Will rolled his eyes. "But now you like Alex right?"

"I love Alex," Ari amended. She mashed her lips together to think.

'_Maybe I'll like EJ one day. But only if Alex does,'_ Ari decided.

"Daddy," Ari thought of something. "Do you love EJ?"

"Allie, Sydney, and Johnny do," Ari continued. "Grandma too. They're your mommy and brother and sisters. You don't have the same daddy but do you love him? Alex isn't my daddy but I love him."

"Oh," Will pursed his lips. He still hadn't considered his own feelings on the matter.

'_Do I love EJ?'_ Will asked himself. Will was so focused on his family and how they felt that he didn't have time to think of himself.

Will thought back to all the moments he'd shared with EJ over the years. Will had hated EJ when he was a teenager. As a young adult Will respected him, enjoyed learning under him. Will had missed EJ when he was gone.

'_But I didn't miss all the pain that came with him,'_ Will knew. _'I didn't miss watching my mom breakdown again and again because of him. I didn't miss all the dangerous things he was involved in.'_

However, Will understood EJ in a way. He always had. That's what made Will so susceptible to EJ's teachings when he was interning for him.

"Well," Will finally decided. "I guess I do love EJ."

"Oh," Ari said. "I still don't like him."

"Yeah," Will chuckled. "I know."

* * *

A few hours later, Alex came home.

"Alex," Ari squealed, climbing on top of her chair and holding out her arms.

"Uh," Alex lifted his eyebrows when Ari jumped into his arms.

"I love you and I need you," Ari declared before kissing the faint scar she had left during their first meeting.

Alex narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"

"Nothing," Ari gasped, offended. "I just love you."

Alex looked at Will for an explanation.

"Don't worry about it," Will said. He'd explain it to Alex later. "She's just feeling loving today."

Alex didn't buy that but he would let it go this time. It felt kind of nice to be needed anyway.

* * *

"I have something to tell you," Will said as he crawled under the covers that night.

"If it's about a repeat of this morning," Alex replied, following after Will, "I am all for that."

"No," Will started to say before considering, "Well, yes, but no."

Alex ignored Will in favor of pushing at Will's pajama bottoms.

"I'm serious," Will whined and squirmed away from Alex's touch.

"And I want to suck you off," Alex stated. "I think we both know who's going to win."

"Ugh," Will covered his face. "You are the best and worst husband at the same time."

Alex raised one eyebrow curiously. "I thought you didn't want to call me that?" Alex asked.

"That's kind of what I need to tell you," Will scooted away from Alex's grabby hands.

"After you left this morning I spent some time with EJ," Will disclosed.

"Why?" Alex frowned. He took his hands off of Will and stared.

"He came over," Will lifted one shoulder. "I talked to him about what happened when I left Salem. I also talked to him about you and me."

"OK," Alex didn't know how he felt about that. "What does that have to do with me being your husband?"

"EJ kind of figured that out," Will smiled weakly.

"How did he figure that out?" Alex demanded, unhappily.

"I just, I don't know," Will started playing with his fingers. "He kept talking about weddings and marriage and I never corrected him. I didn't say one way or another but I figured I should tell you."

"No one is supposed to know that, Will," Alex groaned angrily.

"I didn't confirm anything," Will argued. "He figured it out. He isn't going to tell anyone."

"Yeah, sure," Alex rolled his eyes. "Not until it's convenient for him or he wants something."

Will didn't really have a defense for that.

"Are you actually mad at me about this?" Will asked carefully. "It's not the end of the world."

"I don't know," Alex crossed his arms. "Maybe."

"OK," Will continued playing with his fingers. "I'm sorry."

Alex grabbed Will's hands and forced him to stop. He hated when Will did that. He hadn't done it in months.

'_Stupid nervous tick,'_ Alex thought.

"I'm not pissed at you," Alex admitted. "I just don't like hearing about you spending time with him and braiding each other's hair."

Will nodded. "You know being around EJ doesn't change the way anyone feels about you," Will reminded Alex.

"Don't tell me that," Alex ordered. He wasn't interested in hearing any consolatory remarks about his place in everyone's life.

"It's the truth," Will insisted. "Maybe you don't believe me right now but it's true."

"Just," Alex grinded his teeth together. "Just stop talking."

"Mmm," Will thought about it. "No, definitely not."

"Are you really gonna argue with me about this? Is this going to be our first fight as a married couple?" Alex looked away from Will.

"See," Will pointed at Alex. "You did it too! It's harder to keep a secret than we thought."

"That is not what we're arguing about," Alex complained.

"I know that," Will admitted. "But this is still something we should talk about."

"Why?" Alex wondered. "It doesn't matter."

"Because I don't think you care about people knowing that," Will revealed. "You're just mad that it's EJ."

"Yes," Alex screamed, surprising Will. "I am mad!"

Will looked at Alex in alarm. Alex rarely yelled when he was angry now. He did in the beginning of their relationship but he had tried to stop. Alex knew it bothered Ari.

"I don't want to hear about EJ," Alex continued in a calmer tone.

"Ari was asking about your feelings about him," Will told Alex. "She's concerned about you."

"There is nothing to worry about," Alex grunted. "Wait," Alex realized something. "Why was she asking about him?"

"Well, you know she picks up on those things," Will said. "And he was with me when I got her from school."

"Why was he with you?" Alex hissed.

"Because I had to get Ari and I didn't have enough time to drop him off," Will added. "I drove him home and that was that."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Alex grumbled.

"I didn't think it was that big of a deal," Will admitted. _'Clearly I was wrong.'_

Alex snorted.

"This is why we need to talk about this, Alex," Will said firmly. "How is anything going to work out if you don't want him near either of us?"

"I don't want to talk about anything," Alex shouted.

"Alex-," Will began, feeling alarmed.

"Stop it," Alex growled. He crawled off the bed and looked for his shoes.

"Where are you going?" Will got off the bed too.

"Away from you," Alex spat out. "Don't follow me."

Will watched Alex storm out of their room. He winced when he heard the front door slam.

Will knew Alex wasn't really upset at him. He tried not to take it personally. Will knew Alex was defensive and that sooner or later everything was going to burst out of him. Just like Will knew when Alex was upset he left to cool down. Will didn't know what he did when he was gone. He just hoped it made Alex feel better.

Will went to check on Ari. _'If Alex woke her up I'm gonna kill him though.'_

Seeing Ari fast asleep under her blankets, Will smiled. He didn't know what to do now though.

'_Do I wait for him?'_ Will sighed. _'Just go to sleep?' _

Will walked down the stairs and to grab his laptop.

'_I might as well try to get something done,'_ Will thought, trudging back up the stairs.

* * *

Alex pushed open the bedroom door being as quiet as possible. He felt ridiculous for storming out of the house like a bratty teenager.

'_Way to show him you don't care, dumbass,'_ Alex scolded himself.

Alex paused when he saw Will sleeping with his laptop open. Alex knew right away that Will tried to stay up and wait for him.

'_Ugh, I'm an asshole,'_ Alex thought. He made sure Will's document saved before closing the laptop.

Will groaned when he felt the bed dip near him.

"Go back to sleep," Alex whispered as he wrapped his arms around Will.

Will turned around. "I'm up," Will yawned.

"Just go to sleep," Alex urged.

Will shook his head. "No, I'm worried about you," Will sat up.

"I'm a hormonal fifteen year old girl," Alex grunted. "Don't worry about it."

"Don't tell me what to do," Will stretched his arms over his head.

Alex chuckled weakly.

"Tell me what you're thinking?" Will asked. He reached forward and grabbed Alex's face. "Please?"

Alex sighed. "I don't like you being around him," Alex confessed.

"Because you think he's going to take us away?" Will was certain he was right.

"Is it that weird?" Alex asked feeling insecure.

"No," Will assured Alex. "I get it. I do. I just," Will rubbed his thumbs along Alex's cheekbones. "I want you to figure out that isn't going to happen."

"That's like telling you not to worry about Ari," Alex said. "It's just ingrained in me, OK? I know you get that because you used to think the same thing. You used to think every good thing in your life was going to be taken away from you."

"I know," Will nodded. "That's why I understand this. I know what it's like to feel like you have everything figured out only to be disappointed again. It happened to both of us but that isn't what's happening now."

"Isn't it?" Alex stared at Will's eyes.

Will shook his head. "This is different. We're different."

"EJ isn't going to change that," Will promised. "EJ being in our lives doesn't take away from how anyone feels about you."

"I know that realistically," Alex answered. "It still freaks me out though."

"It's going to take time," Will nodded. "Just don't shut me out."

"No promises," Alex said. "But I'll try."

"Thank you," Will breathed. He pulled Alex into his arms. "You haven't gotten that upset in a long time," Will whispered.

"Sorry," Alex grunted. He closed his eyes and rested his head on Will's shoulder. "I just feel like everything was perfect, everything. I had you and the kid and everyone else. And they all wanted me around and I didn't have to pretend to be something I'm not."

"And," Alex shook his head weakly, "He just makes me feel like that's all going to disappear."

"That won't happen," Will ran his hands through Alex's dark hair. "You still have all of those things. Just, just think of EJ as someone we just met," Will suggested.

"Pretend that EJ is a guy mom brought home for us to meet," Will proposed. "We have to talk to him and get to know him, see if he's good enough for her."

"And them," Alex mumbled.

"Exactly," Will nodded. "If you think of him that way it's not as scary, right?"

Alex agreed.

"God," Alex groaned. "When did I become such a pussy?"

"I like you this way," Will sniffed indignantly. "I wouldn't want to be with you if you were one-dimensional and unemotional. And I hate to break it to you but you've always been insecure and vulnerable."

Alex pulled away and rolled his eyes. "It's not polite to insult your husband."

Will leered. "I thought I wasn't allowed to call you that."

"I think after that oh so mature display," Alex gestured to himself. "You can call me whatever the fuck you want."

"How about I just call you mine?" Will asked.

"Sappy," Alex remarked. He settled against the pillows, dragging Will with him. "But I like it."

Will adjusted until his arms and legs tangled with Alex's.

Alex traced his fingers up and down the side of Will's neck.

"I know that my childhood and stuff wasn't actually that bad," Alex said. "I mean compared to a lot of peoples it's not so bad. I had everything I needed. I know that most of the stuff I complain about is self-made. I wasn't the easiest kid or teenager to deal with."

"Don't do that," Will urged. "You don't have to downplay anything with me. Or for me," Will added. "You said that you never felt loved and accepted the way that you wanted. That you were treated differently. You didn't just make that up."

"It just sounds stupid," Alex admitted. "According to Adrienne and Sonny our lives were picturesque."

"Well, that's according to them, not you," Will said. "And yeah everything I ever heard was about how you guys had the perfect life together. That Adrienne and Justin were the world's best parents and you never had any problems."

"Yeah, right," Alex scoffed. "If you take me out of the equation than it was perfect. Hell," Alex sighed. "Maybe it was just me."

"It wasn't," Will argued. "You were a kid. They should have treated you the same as your brothers. So don't sit there and try to blame yourself especially not to me. It isn't going to work."

"Besides," Will continued, "I didn't have the best childhood either. I would have an easier time telling you all the negative things I remember than happy. But I know that wasn't my fault. It took a long time to realize that but I do."

"And," Will bopped Alex on the nose, "I know exactly how it feels to be settled, happy, and have it all taken away. Which is why I can tell you with one hundred percent certainty that it isn't happening now."

"I guess," Alex replied. "It's going to take me a while to really get it but I'm trying."

"Good," Will smiled. "I just worry about you is all."

"It's nice," Alex smiled back. "God," Alex closed his eyes. "It's so weird to think that a few years ago I never would have admitted I wanted this. That I wanted someone like you."

"You just needed the right person to come along," Will nodded.

"You're my only person," Alex stated. He didn't even care how cheesy that sounded.

Will leaned forward to kiss Alex briefly.

"You know what would make this transition easier?" Will asked.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this?" Alex shot back.

"Spend some time with EJ," Will requested. "I don't need you to be best friends but just try to get along. Please?"

"I don't like it," Alex admitted. "But I'll do it."

"Good," Will kissed Alex again.

Alex wrapped his arms around Will's neck. He lifted his thigh up to cross over Will's, leaving them pressed entirely together.

Will opened his mouth and pressed his tongue into Alex's mouth.

"Thought you were sleepy?" Alex teased. His hands were gliding up and down Will's back and ass.

"I'll take a nap after I drop Ari off tomorrow," Will decided. He felt wide awake with Alex surrounding him.

"I don't have to go in tomorrow," Alex revealed. "We can stay up as late as we want."

"Yes," Will groaned. He yanked Alex into another kiss.

Alex and Will slid against one another. Their hands and mouths touching and caressing everything they could reach.

"One last thing," Alex said between kisses.

"Hmm?" Will hummed, tangling his fingers in Alex's hair.

"I might have gotten a ticket while I was out," Alex quickly got out. He covered Will's mouth with his own to silence any protestations he had.

Will pushed Alex away. "What was that?" Will laughed.

"For speeding," Alex pouted.

"Is that really what you do when you storm off?" Will laughed.

"It makes me feel in control," Alex shrugged, reaching out for Will again.

"See, now you have to hang out with EJ," Will insisted. "He used to be a racecar driver."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," Alex rolled Will onto his back. "I'll be nice and hang out with him."

"Thank yo- oh," Will cut himself off with a moan.

Alex licked behind Will's ear. He carefully dragged one tooth down along the path of his ear and neck.

"Fuck," Will whimpered.

"Thought that would shut you up," Alex said under his breath.

"I know how to shut you up," Will pushed against Alex's shoulders.

Alex flopped onto his back and grinned. Will wiggled out of his pajamas and boxers and straddled Alex's chest.

"This whole night would have gone smoother if you would have just let me suck you off when I wanted to," Alex pointed out.

"Alex?" Will quipped. "Shut up."

Alex smirked and opened his mouth wide.

* * *

"So," EJ walked around Alex's studio. "This is where you work."

"Yes," Alex refrained from rolling his eyes.

Alex had agreed to be around EJ a few days after his talk with Will. Alex chose to do it at his studio knowing if EJ began to annoy him Alex could kick him out and claim it was for work.

"Is this a lucrative endeavor?" EJ asked staring at a few framed photos on the wall. Turning his head from side to side EJ decided it was rather artistic. But he couldn't see it being stable enough for a career.

Alex shrugged. He was busy weeding through emails and checking his schedule.

"It does alright," Alex figured he should be honest. "Whenever I sell one I can make a lot. It just depends."

"Hmm," EJ hummed as he went to sit across from Alexander.

EJ had been back in his family's lives and he still did not know much about Alexander Kiriakis. EJ knew perfunctory things such as what he did for a living. Despite everyone telling him how great Alex was and how much they loved him, EJ still hadn't been able to see it himself.

Alex ignored EJ until he finished setting up shoots and messaging models.

EJ saw a folder with photographs in it and began looking through them. Some shots made his eyebrows rise or his lips stick out.

As EJ was flipping through the photos, he asked, "Is William alright with you doing this?"

Alex finally looked up at EJ. He could see the simply curiosity on EJ's face. EJ didn't appear to be accusing Alex of anything but it was still in Alex's nature to be defensive.

"Yes," Alex answered. "He's fine."

EJ shook his head. "It's just hard to imagine the boy I once knew being OK with this," EJ lifted up a photo of a chiseled male torso and chest.

Alex lifted one shoulder. "Will gets that it's not a sex thing. It's an art thing. Besides," Alex felt an urge to explain himself. "I've never slept with any of my models. Well, only Will."

"Really?" EJ questioned. He wasn't sure if he believed that.

Over the short amount of time he knew Alexander, EJ still had trouble reading him. Normally EJ picked up on that type of thing much sooner. But so far Alex had been a mystery.

"Yes," Alex gruffly spat out before going back to ignoring EJ.

'_Just think of him as her boyfriend, just think of him as her boyfriend,'_ Alex repeated in his mind. If he thought about EJ that way it was doable. Unfortunately, Alex's brain just wasn't wired that way.

'_I have to get along with him. I have to. It's not like I can send him away or scare him off. If everyone gets along with him but me what does that say? What will happen?'_ Alex shook his head. _'No, just make nice. Will likes him he can't be that bad.'_

'_Do it for the rest of your family,_' Alex urged. _'The kids deserve to have their father back. They deserve to have everything.'_

EJ went back to browsing through the photos. Judging from the tone in Alexander's voice EJ assumed he was used to having people doubt his sincerity.

'_If there's one thing I've learned about Alexander though,_' EJ glanced over at him briefly. _'It's that he loves William and Arianna.'_

"These are really good," EJ declared, snapping the folder closed.

"Thank you," Alex replied briskly.

"Have you been having much success?" EJ asked. For once he didn't mean it in a condescending way. He was genuinely curious.

EJ always wanted William to have a stable partner both mentally and financially. Perhaps it was a little barbaric or heteronormative but EJ always envisioned William being the one taken care of. EJ had seen that with Sonny so perhaps he assumed the same would happen with his brother.

'_Or I see too much of Samantha in William and I'm transferring my own feelings on the matter to him,'_ EJ thought uncomfortably.

"Yeah," Alex scratched his nose and shut his laptop. "Before it was mostly just a hobby," Alex didn't know why he was being so forthcoming but it felt right. "I got a camera when I was a kid. Well, I think I stole it from Adrienne but that's not important."

"Anyway," Alex continued, "I just liked it. Photography was just about the only class I didn't ditch in high school. The naked part came after, by the way."

EJ nodded. "What made you decide to pursue it as a career?" EJ wondered.

"Truthfully," Alex revealed, "I was pretty jealous of Sonny and Vic and Joey too."

EJ was confused. It must have shown on his face.

Alex rolled his eyes. "Look, I was always going to be the kid that was left out. I knew that before I was ten. My dad and uncle wanted me to go to college and learn all about running the family business."

Alex curled his upper lip unattractively. "There was no way in hell I was going to do that. I mean, I could have. I probably could now if I wanted. But that's not me. I am not a business suit wearing, board meetings type of guy."

EJ nodded encouragingly. This was the most he'd ever heard Alexander talk. It was illuminating.

"I told them to fuck off when I was 18. They didn't appreciate it, told me I wouldn't be able to do anything on my own," Alex explained. "Unfortunately for them I'm smarter than they give me credit for."

"I had a trust fund," Alex revealed. "As soon as I was out of the house I started investing. A few years ago, all my brothers had their perfect little lives in place. I figured I wasn't getting any younger. I should do what I want too."

"So," Alex looked at EJ's eyes, "I can completely take care of Will and Ari. With or without the photography we have more than enough money to be set. Sadly, I have the world's most demanding child in my life so I have to supplement our income. Will can stay at home and write all he wants. I have everything figured out."

"Good," EJ nodded approvingly. He admired Alexander for getting away from his family's business and carving his own path. EJ also appreciated the irony in Alexander going after his own dream and managing to steal his brother's family in the process.

Alex and EJ sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few moments.

"Come on," Alex sighed and got up from his desk. "I need to go pick up some supplies."

"Alright, Alexander," EJ responded and stood up as well.

"If there is even any chance of this working," Alex informed EJ. "Stop with the Alexander bullshit. It's Alex. Got it?"

EJ pursed his lips and nodded.

'_You're doing this for Samantha and your children. You're doing this for Samantha and your children.'_

* * *

Alex and EJ were driving back to Sami's house a few hours later. Alex could admit that the day had not been entirely horrible. Things were weird and tense for a while until they really found a topic they could bond over.

"Wait, wait, wait," Alex laughed. "Lucas did what now?"

"Yes," EJ chuckled. "It was very pathetic."

EJ snorted. "It's so hard to imagine him with Adrienne now. She always droned on and on about William's upbringing."

"I'm pretty sure she just blames Sami for that now," Alex said. "Of course, she cares less about that than the fact that I'm with Will and hang out with Sami on the regular."

"I never understood why she disliked Samantha so much," EJ replied. "Well, I guess it's not so surprising. From what you said Adrienne liked to pretend she had a perfect family."

"On the inside we were just as dysfunctional as any other," Alex agreed. "She was always blathering on about how her children never saw her relationship problems. Ha," Alex laughed. "We weren't idiots. We saw everything."

"Oh man," Alex glanced at EJ. "Did anyone even tell you what happened at the reception?"

"No," EJ replied inquisitively. "What happened?"

"Mom was in the zone. She was not putting up with anyone ruining things for Will and me," Alex explained. He was unaware he had referred to Sami as his mom again.

EJ lifted one eyebrow in amusement. _'He doesn't even know he does that.'_

"She warned Adrienne and Lucas not to make a scene. Adrienne didn't listen," Alex laughed loudly remembering the look on Adrienne's face when Sami shoved her. "They both ended up in the pool. Will had to wedge them apart with the pool skimmer."

"That was bound to happen sooner or later," EJ smiled. "Shame I missed it."

"What happened after that?" EJ questioned.

Alex's smile disappeared. "They left and nothing eventful happened after. Well, nothing but Will and me."

EJ narrowed his eyes suspiciously. _'I'll find out one way or another.'_

"Weddings are always eventful," EJ remarked instead. "Apparently outside of Salem too."

"Sonny and I beat on each other at Adrienne and Lucas' Vegas wedding," Alex nodded.

EJ threw his head back against the seat and laughed.

"Let me guess over what?" EJ chortled. "Or should I say who?"

"Yeah," Alex chuckled as well. "He threw the first punch though. I was trying to be good."

"For a person that's supposedly all about keeping the peace," EJ commented. "He certainly gets hit a lot."

* * *

Will and Sami were sitting on the sofa when Alex and EJ walked into the house.

Will pursed his lips when he saw the two laughing and joking around.

Sami turned to Will and said, "See, we knew they would get along sooner or later."

"Hey," Alex kissed the top of Will's head before sitting between Sami and Will.

"You two didn't kill each other," Will observed.

"Of course not," EJ perched on the edge of the couch near Samantha.

"We realized we hate all the same people," Alex nodded. "That'll come in handy someday."

"That's….nice," Will said, slightly alarmed.

"He's not that bad," Alex revealed. "But don't expect us to be best friends."

"You can't keep the big cats in the same cage," EJ agreed.

"I have no idea what that means," Sami said.

"Does this mean you two aren't afraid you've been forgotten?" Will asked.

Alex shot Will a nasty look.

"What?" Sami frowned. "What is this nonsense?"

Alex tried to cover Will's mouth but it didn't work.

"They both are stupid and think they aren't needed now," Will shrilled loudly.

Sami looked between Alex and EJ. "You two are morons," she declared before smacking both of them upside the head.

"It's like Sophie's Choice," Sami continued. "It's not happening."

"What's not happening?" Johnny asked as he and the rest of the kids came into the room.

"Did you finish your homework?" Sami demanded.

"Yes," everyone replied in dull tones.

"And what's not happening," Will hopped off the couch and away from Alex. "Is you guys having to pick between Alex and EJ!"

Alex didn't know if he wanted to chase after Will and get him back for revealing that or sit on the couch and pout.

'_Pouting it is,'_ Alex thought as he crossed his arms. He set his jaw and tried to work the meanest face he could muster.

"Aww," Allie clasped her hands together and cuddled up against Alex. "You're so stupid."

"Gee, thanks," Alex replied.

"You are," Sydney agreed. "You're our brother." She mumbled something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like moron.

Ari climbed on Alex's lap. "I'll pick you over anyone," she revealed. "Except Daddy. Well, maybe sometimes. No, no it's a tie."

Johnny shook his head at Alex. "I expected better. Somehow I'm disappointed."

"Oh shut up," Alex ordered. His cheeks were slightly red and he felt a smile tugging at his lips. "I hate this. I hate all of you."

"No you don't," Johnny responded. "You already said you would go with me to my eye appointment. There's no getting out of it now."

"And you're our daddy," Sydney turned to glare at EJ. "What are you even thinking, honestly?"

"Right now I'm thinking you spend too much time with your mother," EJ responded.

Ari gazed at EJ before saying, "He's not my daddy."

"He's your grandfather though," Johnny pointed out. "You can call him Nonno. That's what we call our grandfather."

"Well he's not Allie's daddy either," Ari said. "It's that one guy."

"Sure I am," EJ argued.

"It's like how you have Alex and Will," Johnny agreed with a slight edge to his voice. "Alex isn't your actual dad but he loves you like one."

Johnny was looking at Ari but he was speaking to Allie. He knew how his sister felt left out sometimes having a different father. However, Johnny also knew that his father cared about Allie as if she was his own.

Allie smiled shyly and curled closer against Alex.

Ari sighed. "I guess."

Johnny shot a look at his father. Johnny was confident his father could sense the unspoken threat in his eyes.

Will moved back over to Alex and Ari.

"Do you get that, baby girl?" Will asked.

"Kind of," Ari turned to face Will. "I still don't get how he's alive though."

"You and me both, kid," Alex nodded.

* * *

A few weeks later, Will and Alex dropped Ari and the rest of the kids at Sami and EJ's. They had gone back to their usual weekend routine.

"Are you going to be good for grandma?" Will asked as he helped Ari take off her jacket.

"Grandma, yes," Ari nodded. "Grandpa, probably not."

Will looked over his shoulder at Alex who wasn't even trying to hide his smile.

EJ, waltzing into the room to greet everyone, rolled his eyes.

"Arianna, you're as stubborn as your father was," EJ announced.

"You have fun," Will ordered.

Ari gave Alex and Will a hug before running off to play.

"You gonna be able to handle her?" Alex asked EJ. Alex and EJ were getting along better now than in the beginning but things were still rough.

"Yes," EJ answered.

"And if not that's what I'm for," Sami interrupted from behind him.

"What are you two going to do with your freedom?" Sami questioned.

"We're going out," Will told her with a smile. It had been a while since Will and Alex had gotten to go on a real date. With EJ's arrival and everyone's adjustment period Will and Alex hadn't been able to go out and have fun.

"Good," Sami smiled. "You two deserve it. And don't worry about anything," Sami started ushering them towards the door. "We've got it covered."

* * *

"But Ari," Sydney complained. "Our daddy is the best. You have to like him."

"No, I don't," Ari insisted as she drew a picture. "I can do whatever I want."

"But even Alex likes him," Allie argued. "Just a little bit."

Ari lifted her nose and sniffed the air.

"When we were sad he used to make us paper cranes," Allie added. "He was always good at cheering us up."

"You should have him show you," Sydney suggested. "I bet you'd like them."

Sydney and Allie both disliked how Ari was so stubborn about this. They knew she was obstinate but they wanted everyone to get along.

EJ walked into the kitchen and gestured for Allie and Sydney to leave. He wanted to speak with Arianna alone.

EJ sat down at the table. "What are you working on?" he questioned.

"Picture," Ari responded. "My art teacher said I should draw things I see."

EJ looked at the paper and saw she was attempting to draw the bowl of fruit on the table.

"It looks nice, Arianna," EJ told her.

Ari sighed and put down her pencil. "If this is going to work," she said. "You need to call me Ari. I don't like Arianna. It makes me feel like I'm in trouble."

EJ smiled. "I'm starting to think you're more like Alex than you are like Will."

"Really?" Ari smiled too.

"Mmm hmm," EJ nodded.

"Good," Ari replied.

"How about we make a deal?" EJ suggested. "I'll call you Ari if you call me Nonno."

"OK," Ari shrugged. She continued drawing before asking EJ, "Can you get me some juice, Nonno?"

"Of course," EJ said.

Sami watched from the doorway. There was still a long ways to go but so far everything was coming together.

* * *

Will and Alex sat closely together inside a booth at their favorite restaurant.

"I've missed this," Will confessed.

"Me too," Alex agreed. "We need to do this more often. I don't want to be one of those boring couples that gets in ruts and takes it out on the other."

"Me either," Will nodded. "Maybe when we're done here we can go to a bar or something and have some fun."

Alex smirked at Will. "Some fun, huh?"

"Yes," Will laughed. "Although I don't think the fun has been missing from our lives."

"Of course not," Alex stated. "That'll never happen with us."

Their waiter arrived with their food and the two began to eat.

As their conversation slowed down, Alex looked around the restaurant and froze in shock.

'_Son of a bitch,'_ Alex thought, scooting closer to Will.

"Well fuck," Alex mumbled and hid his face near Will's neck.

"What?" Will chuckled, amused at Alex's antics.

"That angry looking girl by the door?" Alex told Will. "I know her."

"OK," Will furrowed his brows.

"No, I _know_ her," Alex elaborated.

"Oooh," Will looked back at the female standing around with her arms crossed and a fed up look on her face. "Why are you hiding then?"

"She might hate me a bit," Alex commented.

"A bit?" Will wondered.

"OK, a lot," Alex admitted.

"Why would she hate you?" Will questioned.

"You know how I never fell in love with anyone or really cared about anyone before you?" Alex reminded Will.

"Yeah," Will smiled gently. "I remember that."

Alex pulled away from Will's neck and gave him what he knew was a sappy smile.

"Well," Alex caught Will's eyes, "She wasn't so accepting about that. And I really don't want to deal with her."

"Do you want to leave?" Will asked.

Will didn't particularly want to deal with an ex of sorts. He had met a few through Alex's work. Will was confident in their relationship but it was still weird.

"No," Alex shot Will a look. "This is our date. We're not running away because of some dumb bitch from my past."

"Do you have to call her that?" Will frowned. He'd heard so many people use that phrase to describe his mom. He wasn't too fond of it.

"If you met her, you'd know," Alex assured Will.

"Let's just finish up here and don't worry about it," Will placed his hand on Alex's leg.

"OK," Alex agreed.

It wasn't that he was afraid to interact with the girl. Alex was just concerned she might say something to Will and upset him. Alex was always honest with Will about his past. Will knew what kind of person Alex had been.

'_I just don't want Will having to face someone as bitter as she is,'_ Alex thought. _'Although it's been a long time, she's probably over it.'_

* * *

"That was really good," Will announced as the two walked to through the parking lot.

"Yeah it was," Alex agreed. His arm was around Will's waist, thumb dipping into the waistband of Will's pants.

"You know what else is good?" Alex asked, pressing Will into the car.

"I'm thinking it's the new pants I bought," Will answered with a grin.

"You are so smart," Alex praised. He dipped his head down low and kissed Will.

The two were so caught up with each other neither noticed the clicking sound of high heels on the cement. They certainly didn't notice when the sound stopped next to them.

Alex gently nipped at Will's lower lip. He lifted his hands to hold the back of Will's neck and touch his ears.

Will shivered slightly. That area was always so sensitive.

Alex smiled at Will. Even with the dim parking lot lighting Alex thought Will looked beautiful.

"I love you," Alex praised, staring into Will's eyes.

"I think I'm going to be sick," a grating voice beside them announced.

Will's forehead wrinkled as he turned to the side. _'Oh, great,'_ he thought.

Alex pulled Will closer to him. He didn't know why he felt the need to shelter Will but he did. He wanted to shield Will from whatever onslaught was coming.

"You have got to be kidding me," the woman said. Of all the times she imagined she would run into Alex Kiriakis again this was not a scenario she envisioned.

"Can I help you?" Alex demanded. "Because I'm in the middle of something here."

The woman, Kat, scoffed. "Oh, please. More like you're in the middle of lying through your teeth."

She flipped her long, black hair over her shoulder and addressed Will. "Whatever bullshit he is telling you, I wouldn't believe."

Will narrowed his eyes. He didn't appreciate anyone that treated Alex so dismissively.

"Why are you here?" Will asked pointedly.

"If I were you," Kat advised. "I would run as fast as my legs would carry me away from him."

Alex was getting pissed. He hated a lot of things in life. At the top of that list was anyone insinuating that he shouldn't be with Will.

Before Alex could say anything though Will beat him to it.

"For your information," Will stated, "He's not going anywhere."

With that Will grabbed Alex's left hand with his own and showed off their rings.

Kat's mouth dropped open. Her nostrils flared and she felt so mad she could scream.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me," she growled. "Is this some kind of stupid joke?"

"No," Will responded resolutely. He was careful not to use the word married but he wanted to get the point across. "Alex and I are together. That isn't going to change."

"This is unbelievable," Kat ran her hands through her hair.

She thought back over the few months she knew Alex. They had met through mutual friends. They knew each other a few days before she invited him back to her apartment. Alex insisted he didn't do relationships but she got her hopes up anyway. She had tried so hard to get him to commit to her and he never would. He wasn't even tempted.

'_And he's married? He's fucking married?'_ she raged.

"No, it's not," Alex insisted. "I'm with Will and that's that."

"You don't know how to be with anyone," Kat argued. "You don't know how to let anyone in!"

Will tried to break away from Alex's arms but Alex held on tight.

"You don't know anything about Alex," Will hissed. "Not the real him. He's loving and sweet and so fucking gentle and understanding."

"He loves me more than anyone has ever loved anyone," Will stated. "And I'm going to spend the rest of my life showing him how grateful and appreciative I am of that."

"You?" Kat huffed. She looked Will up and down judgmentally. Turning to Alex she asked, "What the hell does that," she gestured to Will, "Have that I don't?"

"For starters he's not a raging bitch," Alex said. "It also has something to do with the fact that I am completely in love with him."

"You don't know how to love anyone," Kat grumbled.

Now Will was the one who was pissed. Will might not be as outspoken as Alex. But he sure as hell wasn't going to let anyone to tell Alex what he is or isn't capable of.

"So, what?" Will shrugged staring at Kat. "He fucked you a few times and you thought that meant you were entitled to him?"

Alex didn't know why but he felt his heart start racing. His heart and his body loved it when Will stood up for him, defended him. No one understood him the way Will did.

"Did you even care about him at all?" Will wondered. "Or did you just see a pretty face, a hot bod and a nice dick?"

"Because there is so much more to him than that," Will continued ranting. "And if you or anyone else before you bothered to get to know him you'd see that."

"I wanted to," Kat screeched. "He wouldn't let me in."

"That's because you never tried," Will shouted. "No one ever tried!"

Will knew he was getting carried away but he couldn't help it. He hated that Alex had been so easily dismissed before. That so many people expected things out of Alex and yet never put in the effort. Or those that did, like this Kat person, wanted more than Alex was willing to give.

"If any of you stupid people bothered to notice," Will added. "You would see that getting to know him and love him and getting that in return is the easiest fucking thing."

"And I am sorry that you didn't get what you wanted out of him," Will glared at Kat. "But clearly you weren't any good for him. There is a reason I'm the only person he's ever fallen in love with."

"Which is what?" Kat rolled her eyes.

"I'm good for him," Will said calmly. "I get him and he gets me. Neither of us have ever tried to give or take more than the other needed."

"You don't get to come here and tell him what he is or isn't capable of," Will finished. "Because you have no fucking clue what that is."

"Now, we're going to our house and our daughter," Will said even though he had no intention of picking up Ari. "And you can go back to obscurity where you and every other person Alex's ever slept with belongs."

With that Will opened up the passenger door and shoved Alex inside. Will stormed over to the driver's door and got in. Normally Alex would be the one to drive but Will was worked up.

Alex stared at Will as he drove them away, leaving Kat behind.

"I am so turned on right now," Alex declared. "You are so fucking hot when you get defensive. I have never wanted to have sex with you more than I do right this minute."

Will huffed out a laugh. "When we get home we're fucking on every square inch of that house. Neither of us are going to be able to walk in the morning."

"Drive faster," Alex ordered.

* * *

Will slammed Alex against the front door. He blindly stabbed his key somewhere near the doorknob. He didn't even care if their neighbors could see them. He wanted Alex and he wanted him right now.

Alex groaned. With his tongue twining with Will's, Alex stole the keys and managed to unlock the door. He was into exhibitionism as much as the next guy but figured they should probably go inside.

Will stumbled through the door and slammed it shut.

"Want you," he declared. Will launched himself at Alex.

"Fuck," Alex was strong but not that strong. He managed a few steps before toppling over. His back landed harshly on the stairs.

"Sorry," Will said against Alex's lips.

"Don't care now," Alex dismissed. "Just want you."

Will nodded and started pulling at Alex's zipper and button. He wanted Alex naked.

"God," Will said as he stripped them both. "She made me so angry."

"I noticed," Alex nodded. His eyes took in every inch of Will's body as he ripped off his clothes.

"What the fuck does she know?" Will growled, grinding against Alex's waist. "You don't know how to love anyone? I've never felt as loved or respected by anyone as I do with you."

"She doesn't know me," Alex replied. His hands clasped tight to Will's hips.

"You were right," Alex continued. "She wanted me but not what I was willing to offer. No one ever tried the way you did. The way that you still do."

"That's because I love you," Will insisted. "You," Will leaned forward to kiss Alex. "All of you, the good and the bad and the frustrating. All of you."

"It's always been you for me," Alex promised. "Just you."

"I know," Will shoved Alex back into the stairs.

Neither cared how bruised or sore they would be when they were finished. All they cared about was right then and right now.

* * *

Later that night, Will placed some frozen vegetables and ice packs on Alex's back. His skin was already black and blue.

"Well," Alex winced, "I think you made good on the guarantee I wouldn't be able to walk."

"I'm sorry," Will kissed the back of his neck. "I just wanted you so bad."

"I'm not complaining," Alex reassured him. "It was super sexy. Although next time you're the one on your back."

Will moved in close so their bare arms pressed together and they were sharing a pillow.

"I hate that no one's ever seen you the way that I do," Will revealed after a few moments. "I hate that no one tried."

"A few people did," Alex reminded Will. "Kat did in her own way. They just didn't get me. I was closed off. If I tried maybe it would have been different."

"But you," Alex smiled at Will. "You barely tried at all. You let me set the pace."

"I was just so surprised you wanted to be with me at all," Will laughed. "I would have done anything you said."

"Still," Alex said. "You didn't expect me to give you everything. You were yourself and you were grateful for what we had. Every time I did reveal something about myself you didn't freak out or push for more. You let me find my way to you on my own."

"You were worth it," Will smiled. He leaned forward to kiss Alex on the nose. "You still are."

"For the record," Alex told Will. "I'm the one that should be surprised you want to be with me. That you trusted me with not just yourself but Ari and your family."

"Well, I guess it's a good thing we decided to trust each other," Will stated.

"Who else would manage to stand up for me and then literally break my back during sex all within an hour?" Alex rhetorically asked.

Will crinkled his nose and hid his face.

"Aw," Alex sighed happily. "There's that blush I love."

"Good thing," Will replied. "I don't think it's going away anytime soon."

"That's one of the things I was attracted to first," Alex told Will. "The first time we were together you were so shameless when I was inside of you yet so bashful when it was done. I liked it."

"So did I," Will kissed Alex again. "Time to take off the ice," he declared.

"You know," Alex started, "We still ended up back at home instead of going out."

"And yet I wasn't bored at all," Will remarked. "Funny how that works isn't it?"

"Some things are just meant to be, pet," Alex decided.

* * *

Author's note:

This week was a rough one for us Will fans. I tried not to let that bleed into this story but it might have.

Please let me know what you thought.

Thank you for reading!

iluvh0rs3s, I owe you an especially big thank you this week. I'm sure my constant questions and neediness are annoying. But I appreciate your advice. You're the best!


	19. Chapter 19

"_I call dibs on Syd's teacher," Alex called out. _

"_Why?" Will wondered. He and Alex were on speaker phone with his mom._

"_Kindergarten is a piece of cake," Alex shrugged. "If I'm getting dragged to a 'Bring Your Parent to School Day' it better be easy."_

"_That's not even the point of the, oh whatever," Will waved it off. "I'll take Johnny then."_

"_And I've got Allie," Sami answered. "Alex, you have to be there from 10-11. Will and I are 11-12."_

"_We'll be there," Will said. _

_A few minutes later, they hung up. Their plans were set for the next morning._

* * *

"_Welcome, parents," Sydney's teacher, Mrs. Washington, greeted. "Please take a seat near your child."_

_Alex glanced at the small child-sized chair in distaste. He sat down, long legs squished near his chest. _

_Sydney did nothing to hide her laughter. _

"_You look silly," Sydney revealed._

"_Yeah, I noticed," Alex responded. He felt pleased to see that the other adults looked just as ridiculous._

"_Now," Mrs. Washington began once everyone settled down. "Students pull out your science workbook and turn to page 17." _

_Alex looked over to see what they were going to be working on. _

'I do not remember kindergarten being this difficult,'_ Alex thought in alarm. _

"_Do you know how to do that?" Alex questioned Sydney, pointing at the book. _

"_Duh," Sydney replied. "Now stop talking so loud."_

"_Sydney," Mrs. Washington cleared her throat. "You and your father need to stop talking." _

_Alex, affronted, snorted. "I am not her-,"_

"_Put a bubble in your mouth," Mrs. Washington leveled them both with a sharp glare. "Both of you need to pay attention." _

"_Stop being so embarrassing," Sydney hissed to Alex when the teacher turned away._

"_It could be worse," Alex whispered. "You could be stuck with your mom."_

* * *

_Sitting in the cafeteria, Mrs. Washington grilled Alex. _

"_Sydney's paperwork doesn't have a second parent listed," the teacher said. _

"_I'm not her father," Alex was doing his best to stay polite. _

"_Yeah," Sydney pulled a face. "He's my brother." _

_Mrs. Washington's eyebrows rose high on her forehead. "I didn't think your mother was old enough to…"_

"_I'm dating her brother," Alex rolled his eyes. He'd given up on being well-mannered._

"_Oh," Mrs. Washington nodded. "That makes a lot more sense."_

_Alex and Sydney turned to each other and shared a look. _

* * *

"_Thanks for coming, Alex," Sydney hugged him tightly. "I thought no one was going to see me." _

"_Why wouldn't anyone see you?" Alex wondered. _

"_I dunno," Sydney said. "I'm just in kindergarten. It's not as important as second grade. And I'm younger."_

"_Who told you that?" Alex demanded._

"_Allie," Sydney answered honestly. "She said if mom was going to see anyone it was going to be her or Johnny."_

"_That's dumb," Alex insisted. "Besides, there are three adults and three kids here. Of course we would come and see you all."_

"_Good," Sydney smiled dopily. _

"_Get outta here, kid," Alex lifted her up to kiss her forehead and set her back on her feet. _

"_Love you," Sydney shouted as she ran off to the playground._

_Alex checked his watch and figured he might as well wait around the cafeteria for Will and Sami to show up._

* * *

_Sami and Allie both beamed when Alex sat down across from them._

"_How was kindergarten?" Sami questioned. _

"_Tough," Alex responded. "It was not that hard when I went."_

"_How many years ago was that?" Allie wondered. _

"_Don't start with me," Alex told her. He looked around the cafeteria. "Where's Will?"_

"_Johnny's class isn't here yet," Allie commented. "They're usually last."_

"_I want to see this teacher anyway," Alex revealed. "She's the hot one, right?"_

"_Not anymore," Sami smiled at Alex deviously. "She had to take a leave of absence. Now he's got a long-term sub. And _he_ is quite hot."_

"_He's cute," Allie agreed. "Oh, there he is. And he's talking to Will!"_

_Sami and Allie had matching smirks on their face watching Alex practically fall out of his seat. _

_Alex glared._

'Damnit, he is hot,'_ Alex set his jaw and narrowed his eyes. _

"_Watch him go over to stake his claim in 3, 2, 1," Sami told Allie._

_Right on cue, Alex hopped out of his chair. _

"_I really liked that lesson on brainstorming," Will told Johnny's teacher, Mr. Jensen. _

"_Thanks," Mr. Jensen smiled. "This is kind of my first teaching gig. So, that's nice to hear."_

"_Really?" Will asked. He knew that the teacher was young. But Will assumed he had been teaching for at least a few years._

"_Right out of college," Mr. Jensen laughed. _

"_Well, I couldn't tell," Will said. "You seemed to know what you were doing."_

_Mr. Jensen put his hands in his pockets. "Johnny's been doing really well," he confided in Will. _

"_Good," Will nodded. "He's not having any problems doing his work or anything, right?" _

"_No, no, he's fine," Mr. Jensen informed Will. "I have to make sure he's at the front of the class but that's easy."_

"_He actually talks about you a lot," Mr. Jensen revealed. "Johnny does. He's always telling everyone about his big brother the writer."_

_Will smiled and looked ahead to see Johnny standing in line waiting for his food. "He's really sweet," Will commented. _

"_He also told me," Mr. Jensen started to say when someone interrupted. _

"_There you are, baby," Alex loudly declared. His arm slipped around Will's waist, pulling him close._

_Will gave Alex a strange look. "I'm sure you looked real hard," Will said. _

"_Who's this?" Alex commanded expectantly. _

_Will bit the side of his cheek. He still wasn't used to being with someone that was actually jealous._

"_This is Johnny's teacher, Mr. Jensen. We were just talking about Johnny," Will placed his hand on Alex's arm. _

_Alex nodded. "Right." Alex looked over and saw Johnny near the front of the line. "Oh look, Johnny's ready. Let's go."_

_As Alex was pulling him away, Will called over his shoulder, "It was nice to meet you."_

"_Really?" Will caught Alex's eye as they moved towards Johnny._

"_What?" Alex asked. _

_Johnny, noticing Will and Alex, said, "Oh good, you're done flirting with my teacher."_

"_I was being nice," Will rolled his eyes. _

"_Uh huh," Johnny dismissed. "He's still staring at you. If you wanted to know," Johnny glared at Mr. Jensen._

_Johnny was hopeful the look on his face said it all._

"_Oh my god," Will complained as he got his tray of food. "I told him I liked his lesson. That's it."_

"_He also was looking at your butt when you bent over to pick up my pencil earlier," Johnny pointed out helpfully._

"_I can't take you anywhere," Alex sighed. "Not even safe at a primary school for god's sake."_

"_You're ridiculous," Will knew his face was bright red. "If anyone can't be taken anywhere it's you and you know it."_

"_Really? Because I got scolded by Sydney's teacher," Alex said as they sat down near Sami and Allie. "And you got hit on by Johnny's so…"_

"_Stop it," Will laughed. "I know you're just saying this to make me feel good about myself."_

"_I would never joke about other guys hitting on what's mine," Alex argued. "If it was up to me I'd keep you completely in the dark about that. Yes," Alex decided, "That's what I'll do now. No one ever tell him these things again," Alex requested. _

_Will, Sami, Allie, and Johnny all gave Alex identical looks of exasperation._

"_Maybe I'll just stop taking you in public," Will offered. "How about that?"_

"_Psh," Alex waved Will's suggestion off. "You'd all be lost without me."_

_No one disagreed._

"_Are you done being jealous of a guy Will talked to for 5 seconds?" Sami asked dully._

"_I'm not jealous," Alex said seriously. _

_Everyone stared at him again. _

"_Stop looking at me like that," Alex ordered. "I'm not."_

_Alex waited a beat until, "What kind of a guy teaches primary school anyway?" _

* * *

"Is it Christmas yet?" Ari asked.

"You know it's not," Will chuckled. "You have to wait a few more days."

"But how will I get all my presents?" Ari wondered as she bounced around Will.

Will, picking up dirty towels around the house, sighed. "You'll get them," Will promised.

"But I have so many more presents coming now," Ari reminded Will. "I sent lists to everyone!"

"You aren't getting everything on your lists," Will reminded her.

"How do you know?" Ari asked. "I was very good this year."

"Because Daddy will kill anyone that does that," Will replied.

"But I need toys," Ari complained. "New ones. And clothes. And books. And-,"

"You don't need anything," Will clarified. "You want those things."

"Anyway," Ari ignored Will. "How will I get my presents?"

Will knew exactly how Ari was going to get her presents. He just wasn't quite sure how it was going to turn out.

'_Merry Christmas, thank you for visiting. Speaking of Jesus, here's another man that's risen from the dead but for vastly different reasons,'_ Will imagined. _'For some reason I can't see that many people getting too pleased about EJ being back in our lives.'_

"How would you feel about maybe having people over for the holidays?" Will asked Ari. The two walked down the stairs to get to the laundry room.

"Oooh, oooh," Ari skipped down the stairs. "Everyone gets to see me! That should be their Christmas present."

"You are overestimating your value," Will mumbled so she wouldn't hear.

"You just saw everyone last month," Will reminded her.

"That was different," Ari argued. "I was too excited to care about them. I was so happy you and Alex were together forever."

"We were already together forever before that," Will told her. "The ceremony just made it official."

"But still," Ari whined. "I need to see everyone. I have to show off the tricks my new Nonno can do."

"Are you still using that name?" Alex asked from the kitchen.

"Uh huh," Ari responded as she walked over to him. "We made a deal."

"That's literally the stupidest name in the world," Alex said.

"_Pappous is not any better than Nonno," Will snickered._

_"Everything is better in Greek than Italian," Alex lifted his nose in the air._

"What should she call him then?" Will smiled indulgently. "She already calls your dad grandpa."

Ari nodded. "He is my gampa," Ari agreed.

"Maybe you can embrace mommy's heritage and call him Abuelo or Tata," Will offered.

"Those are awful too," Alex complained.

"EJ already picked a name. We should just stick to it," Will insisted.

"If he buys me what I asked for," Ari told them. "I'll call him whatever he wants."

"Stop making him bribe you," Will complained. "I still haven't gotten all the glitter out of your clothes from last week."

"But whhhhhhyyyy?" Ari complained.

"Besides," Ari continued, "If I'm nice to him he does what I want."

"Ari," Will put the laundry basket down. "You cannot give EJ affection in return for stuff."

"Why?" Ari wondered.

"It's mean," Will told her. "You can't tell EJ that you love him but only if he buys you things."

"Why?" Ari repeated.

"Because then you'd be lying," Will explained. "You either love him or you don't. It shouldn't depend on him buying you gifts."

"But why?" Ari continued.

Will turned to Alex in irritation.

"Kid," Alex stepped in. "Would you like it if I told you I only loved you if you did the dishes? And every time you didn't do the dishes I told you I didn't love you?"

"No," Ari pouted.

"Then knock it off," Alex ordered.

Will picked up his laundry basket again and headed for the laundry room.

As he walked away, Will overheard Ari talking to Alex. "But I'm getting all my presents though, right? I don't care how many grandpas' I have. I need those presents."

* * *

"What should we order for dinner?" Sami asked the next Sunday.

"Italian," EJ replied, feet up on the coffee table.

"Greek," Alex said at the same time.

The two turned to glower at the other.

"Alex," Will rolled his eyes. "You don't even like Greek food."

"Yes, I do," Alex argued still holding EJ's eyes.

"You said lamb tastes like feet," Will offered. "And you hate olives."

EJ lifted one eyebrow. "Samantha, Darling," he called. "Order the Italian food."

"OK," Sami eyed EJ and Alex warily before walking back into the kitchen.

Alex crossed his arms and turned to glare at the TV.

"You love Italian food," Will consoled Alex.

"That's not the point," Alex grumbled.

"I know," Will put his arm around Alex's neck and pulled him to rest on Will's shoulder. "My poor baby."

* * *

Alex was outside showing Johnny and Ari how to take a picture when the sun was setting. Sydney and Allie were helping Sami work on dessert in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Will and EJ were conversing in the living room.

"I have to admit," EJ told Will. "That it's rather sweet seeing young Alexander with the children."

"I told you he was actually a cinnamon roll," Will teased.

EJ frowned. "Is that a modern colloquialism that I don't understand?"

Will decided to move on. "How has your new phone been?" Will asked instead.

"I don't know how the bloody hell this works," EJ groaned. He pulled out the phone and threw it on the coffee table.

"EJ, I showed you last week when we went to the store to buy it," Will sighed.

"Come on," Will scooted closer to EJ and began yet another tutorial.

* * *

After a few minutes, EJ started to get the hang of his phone for the time being.

"There," Will said. "Now why don't you…" he trailed off when he saw the look on EJ's face.

EJ pressed his fingertips together. He had been doing a lot of thinking.

"As you know I've been spending a lot of time alone," EJ revealed.

"Or with me," Will quipped.

"Anyways," EJ ignored Will. "You told me to talk to you if I feel like I might be slipping."

"What are you worried about?" Will took his feet off the coffee table and sat up straight.

"I've been going over in my head about all the time I lost," EJ revealed.

"OK," Will encouraged.

"And the more I think about it, the angrier I get," EJ added.

"Oh," Will nodded. He should have known this was coming. "You're thinking about going after the guy that shot you."

"It wasn't just some guy," EJ confided.

"How do you know that?" Will shook his head. "Everyone said it was some junkie."

"No, William. In what universe would I be taken out by a junkie? No," EJ said. "It was orchestrated by Clyde Weston."

Will stared at EJ for a few moments. "…What?"

"Yes," EJ caught William's eyes. "Your mother tells me that you wrote an article on him. You never suspected anything like that?"

Will bit his lip.

"What do you know?" EJ demanded.

"Well, I did some research and I had to go to this town, Poplar Bluffs," Will explained. "There was only one person that actually said something negative. But I knew everyone wanted to say something. They just, couldn't."

"They must have been afraid," EJ mused.

"When I came back, Clyde came to visit me," Will admitted.

"Did he want you to stop the article?" EJ asked.

"No," Will said. "He wanted me to write it. It was more or less what he didn't say though."

"He was threatening you," EJ figured.

"Yeah," Will nodded. "He wanted me to write the article but to make it very positive. I didn't want anything to happen to Ari so I went ahead."

EJ noticed the expression on William's face.

"You made the right decision," EJ assured Will. "He's a dangerous man."

"Yeah but if I had written the article I should have," Will countered. "Then I might have prevented a lot of things from happening."

"You don't even know if he did anything else," EJ pointed out. "Were there any other crimes he could have been responsible for? Anything like what happened with me?"

"Well," Will thought about it. "The only thing that was similar was what happened to Sonny."

"Sonny?" EJ frowned. "What happened to him?"

"The police thought it was a bad drug deal or something," Will said. "Anyway, he was in the park and got stabbed."

"The same park I was shot?" EJ demanded. "Why did no one make the connection there?"

"I think they did," Will replied. "They just couldn't figure out how."

"No surprise there," EJ rolled his eyes.

The two sat in silence for a few moments.

"Wait," EJ said. "I was murdered and no one solved it. My father didn't solve it. Someone went after Victor Kiriakis' beloved nephew and no one caught him."

"Yeah, I guess not," Will responded.

EJ set his jaw and flared his nostrils.

"This means you'll want revenge, doesn't it?" Will frowned.

"Before," EJ huffed out a breath. "It would have already been taken care of. Now, now I don't know what I want. And even if I want it I don't know if I should go ahead."

Will was worried. "You better figure that out and decide if it's worth it," Will stated.

Just then Alex, Ari, and Johnny came in from the outside. Johnny used his camera to snap a picture of Allie with flour all over her face.

"Delete that picture," Allie ordered.

"Nope," Johnny sing-songed. "It's a work of art."

"Give me that camera," Allie started chasing Johnny around the kitchen.

"Damnit," Sami complained when they made her stumble. "Get out of here."

Johnny hightailed it into the front room. He crawled across his father and Will, hiding behind them.

Allie, coming from behind the couch, snatched the camera out of Johnny's hands. "Ha, loser," Allie cheered, running off.

Will caught EJ's eyes again. "You're going to need to decide if _they're_ worth your need for revenge or not."

* * *

"What was up with you and EJ tonight?" Alex questioned as they got ready for bed.

"What do you mean?" Will wondered.

"Uh, the weird covert looks. Plus, you kept pointing out everything anyone did to EJ. 'Oh, look at that, EJ; she wants to go on a family trip this summer.' What the fuck was that about?" Alex demanded.

Will didn't know if he should confide in Alex or not. Will rarely had any secrets of his own nowadays. The worst thing Will ever withheld from Alex was if Will got hit on when he was alone.

'_But those secrets are for Alex's own good,' _Will knew. _'This isn't even my secret.'_

"Spill it," Alex prodded Will's chest with a finger.

"Well," Will finished changing his clothes and sat on the bed. "EJ knows who killed him. Well, he knows who tried to kill him."

"OK?" Alex was waiting for more.

"We both think it's the same person that stabbed Sonny," Will admitted.

Alex lifted an eyebrow. He could admit he was a pretty shitty brother. Alex was bitter, jealous, self-serving, the list went on and on really. But even Alex worried when Sonny was stabbed.

'_It didn't help that Adrienne was the one to tell me. Or that she lead with, "Your brother might die tonight,"'_ Alex rolled his eyes. _'But for it to be the same person that took out EJ?'_

"How did the same person get to them both?" Alex wondered. "They're both from high profile families, dangerous families. That shouldn't have happened."

"No," Will agreed.

"But that's not why you're worried," Alex observed. "Oh," it only took a few seconds for it to dawn on him. "EJ wants to take that guy out."

"He hasn't decided," Will whispered. "Knowing EJ though? Yeah, he's going to go after him."

"Well, fuck," Alex replied. "We have to stop him."

Will looked at Alex incredulously.

"What?" Alex frowned. "He's not my favorite person but you know how devastated the kids and mom are gonna be. If he went back into his old habits, they might not forgive him."

"That's the thing," Will grabbed Alex's hand. "I want EJ to come to that conclusion on his own. I want him to realize that this is it, his last chance."

"From what you and Sami have told me," Alex moved closer to Will. "That might not happen."

"He has done some pretty messed up things," Will recalled.

Alex nodded. "Replacing your step-father with an imposter to ensure the kids knew he was better."

"Did I ever tell you that he was selling drugs for a while? That Gabi's sister Arianna was selling them for him?" Will asked.

"That's a fantastic person to name your daughter after," Alex responded.

"I think she was a police informant," Will dismissed.

"You think?" Alex whispered.

"Gabi's in jail for murder," Will pointed out. "I really don't think I'm in any position to complain about Ari's name."

"Didn't you say you killed her or something?" Alex pondered.

"I didn't kill Arianna," Will rolled his eyes. "I stalled her for my mom. She just so happened to run off and get hit by a car after talking to me."

"The point is," Will sighed. "That EJ does a lot of complicated, long drawn out schemes that's sole purpose is to make him happy."

"Guess we're gonna have to bug the fuck out of him until he does what we want," Alex offered.

"Right," Will nodded. "OK."

"Now can we stop talking about him in bed?" Alex requested. "I've got plans for you."

"Like what?" Will laughed. Alex rolled Will over and onto his stomach.

"Someone gets an early Christmas present," Alex teased. He grabbed Will's sweatpants and pulled them down.

Will moaned slightly. "Wh-what kind of present?"

"Well," Alex admitted. "It's for both of us."

Will lifted himself onto his hands and knees. "Oh yeah?" he bit his lower lip.

"Yep," Alex insisted. He inclined his head and nipped at the bottom swell of Will's ass.

Reaching under the bed, Alex pulled out a box he shoved under there earlier.

"Since we've been so good," Alex spoke as he opened the box. "Santa decided we needed something fun."

Will heard a familiar buzzing sound permeate the air.

"Merry Christmas to me," Will groaned, bunching the sheets into his palms in anticipation.

* * *

Will sat across from his mom and EJ inside a restaurant.

"I've got most of the details planned," Sami showed Will her IPad. "See?"

Will saw a guest list and a list for toys.

'_She's really taking this planning thing seriously,'_ Will thought.

"It all looks good, Mom," Will told her. "But aren't we going a bit overboard for a Christmas dinner?"

"It's not just Christmas dinner," Sami argued. "It's Christmas breakfast too."

"Oh, well, of course, Darling, that changes everything," EJ said trying not to laugh.

"I know I'm probably stating the obvious here," Will said. "How are we going to explain EJ to everyone?"

"We've been thinking about that," Sami nodded.

"Because as soon as they all know," Will reminded them, "Victor is going to know which means Stefano is going to know."

"Not necessarily," EJ replied. He didn't sound too convincing though.

Will gave EJ an expectant look. "My grandma, Justin, Vic, Joey, and technically Paul all work for Victor. You can't expect any of them to keep something that big quiet."

"Oh," Will added, "And how is Chad going to explain being here instead of in Salem?"

"That will be up to Chad," EJ shrugged. "He could just as easily spend the holiday in Salem."

"Are either of you taking this seriously?" Will demanded in irritation. "Even if Stefano doesn't find out half the people that are coming don't even like you."

EJ looked insulted.

"It's true," Will said. "My dad hates you. Adrienne hates you. Justin and Kate are ambivalent. Everyone else either doesn't know you or doesn't know you that well."

"Will," Sami cut off his rambling. "What is this really about?"

"I don't want this turning into some kind of ambush or, or to hurt anyone or cause any unnecessary problems," Will revealed. "I just," Will sighed and closed his eyes.

"I just want," Will told them, "For this to be great. This is the first holiday Alex is ever going to have with this many people that care about him. This is going to be the first holiday Ari remembers with her whole family here. The kids finally have their dad back. EJ is-,"

"Aw, William," EJ teased though he looked rather pleased. "I didn't know you cared so much about me."

"I care about everyone," Will insisted with a pout. "And I don't want this to turn into something beyond our control."

"That looks more like the Will I know," EJ chuckled.

Will pursed his lips and glared.

"Boys," Sami wanted to be annoyed but she couldn't be. She had missed Will and EJ bickering more than she ever thought was possible.

"I am just saying that we need to do this delicately," Will conceded.

"I agree," EJ admitted. "We don't need to cause any unnecessary drama."

"I also don't want to make it a big deal though," Sami pointed out. "I think we should just have everyone arrive. EJ can be there and we can explain."

"OK," Will nodded. "I just hope this doesn't turn into a circus."

Sami glanced at her phone. "I've got a meeting I need to get to. Stupid bride can't pick a dress."

"Should have stuck to queer weddings," Will shot her a smile.

"Can you take EJ back with you?" Sami asked Will.

"Of course," Will replied.

"Alright," Sami took one last sip of her tea. Gathering her purse, phone and IPad, she kissed EJ square on the lips.

"Love you," Sami couldn't stop the small, dopy smile from spreading across her lips.

"Love you," EJ repeated, staring into her extraordinary eyes.

Will felt both amused and embarrassed by the display.

Once Sami got out of the booth, she kissed the top of Will's head. "And I love you too."

"So," EJ said once Samantha had left. "Want to order the crème brulee?"

* * *

As they were eating their dessert, Will questioned, "Have you thought about what you want to do?"

Will had been encouraging EJ to decide what he wanted to do with his life.

"I'm still not sure," EJ pressed his lips together.

"You could always go back to law," Will reminded him. "Or racecar driving I suppose, although mom might kill you for that."

"It just seems strange," EJ said. "I've spent the majority of my life doing whatever my father wanted. Now," EJ looked around the restaurant. "Now, he's not even in my life at all."

"He's going to know one day though," Will replied. "He's Stefano. Health scare or not, one day he'll find out Chad busted you out of that treatment center. And he'll come here."

"I know," EJ's shoulders slumped. "I can't imagine my life away from Samantha or the children. But I know sooner or later my father will interfere."

"Your life is rather similar to _The Godfather_," Will commented.

EJ nodded in agreement.

'_Does that mean Tony is Sonny, EJ is Fredo, and Chad is Michael?'_ Will wondered. _'No, EJ is definitely Michael.'_

"It doesn't have to be that black and white though," Will told EJ. "It doesn't have to be your family or your father."

"Samantha would never let him near any of us," EJ insisted.

"That's true," Will nodded. "But you don't have to throw your father away. He was, well, a terrible father. He's done monstrous things but I know deep down you love him and he loves you."

"That's what makes it so hard," EJ whispered.

"I know I don't want to go back to being a pawn in his chess game," EJ said. "Unfortunately, that's all I know."

"Well," Will wasn't sure what to say. "Maybe Stefano, in his old age, will just be satisfied that you're alive and happy."

EJ gave Will a measured look before shoving a spoonful of crème brulee in his mouth.

"Yeah, that sounded dumb even as I said it," Will agreed.

"Have you thought about Clyde anymore?" Will questioned. He didn't want to push EJ but at the same time he kind of did.

"Instinct tells me to go after him. To return the favor," EJ confessed. "I know I can't though."

"That's good," Will smiled. Then he looked at EJ's face and his body language. "Oh, it's not good."

"What do you mean?" EJ wondered.

"EJ, eventually you're going to snap. If this isn't taken care of you're going to just hold in all this animosity and resentment. It's going to come bubbling out of you," Will warned.

"Then what am I supposed to do," EJ tossed his spoon on the table. It made a loud clattering sound. "I can't do what I want to do. Now, you're telling me if I don't do it I'll do something even worse."

"I know," Will tried to think of what to do. "I just, maybe we can find a compromise, something that doesn't involve you."

EJ looked at Will curiously.

* * *

"Jingle bells, jingle bells," Ari was singing to herself as she worked on her homework.

"My god, I hate Christmas music," Alex groaned.

"You're such a Grinch," Will teased. The two were sitting down for their monthly budget review.

"I have to hear my least favorite music during my least favorite part of the month," Alex complained.

"Be nice," Will warned. "I'm not as bad as I used to be."

"Thank god for that," Alex mumbled.

Alex stole Will's tablet out of his hands and looked over their budget.

"Looks fine," Alex said. "We even managed to buy a million Christmas presents for everyone. Now can we do something fun?"

"Presents?" Ari piped up from the other side of the table.

"No," Alex replied. "You have to wait until Christmas, kid. It's only three more days."

"Can we watch Christmas movies then?" Ari really wanted those presents.

"You watched a bunch of them yesterday with EJ," Will reminded her.

"So?" Ari blinked owlishly at her daddy.

"Once you finish your homework," Will told her. "And take a bath."

"Yay, we can watch the Grinch," Ari cheered.

"Oh, good," Alex said straight faced.

* * *

"Here's some peppermint hot chocolate," Will announced as he set three mugs on the coffee table.

"Gimme, gimme, gimme," Ari giggled. With one sip she managed to get whipped cream all over her face.

"So much for the bath," Alex commented.

"And the gingerbread cookies we made," Will put the tray next to the mugs.

"When did you make these?" Alex asked.

"Yesterday with Nonno," Ari informed him.

Alex viciously bit the head off of one of the gingerbread men.

Will shook his head fondly. He found the remote for the blu ray player and hit play.

"How's the hot chocolate?" Will asked Ari as he handed her a napkin.

"It's very good, Darling," she answered.

"No," Alex turned and pointed one finger at her. "No, just no. No, no, no, no, no."

Ari looked startled.

"You and this Nonno crap, no." Ale repeated.

Ari licked the whipped cream off her lips. "Are you saying no no or Nonno? Or Nonno and no no?"

"Nonno, no, no, ugh," Alex got annoyed. "Stop it."

"Stop what?" Ari frowned. "You're the one being weird."

Will had to dig his teeth into his tongue to prevent himself from laughing.

"Alex," Will put a comforting hand on his back. "Relax."

"No," Alex said.

Will put a finger over Alex's lips. "We aren't getting into that again. You know she loves you best. There's no need to be jealous."

"Is that what that was?" Ari frowned. "Why didn't you just say that instead of 'no' a bunch of times?"

Ari scooted over on the couch so she was sitting between Will and Alex.

"You're my Alex," Ari said. She reached over to get her princess blanket and snuggled in close.

Will smiled at Alex who rolled his eyes.

"Besides," Ari crinkled her nose. "If I repeated what you say to Daddy when you think I can't hear I'd be in trouble."

* * *

"You know," Will told Alex after they finished reading Ari her bedtime story. "We bought a present for everyone except for EJ."

"What do you get a man that's returned from the grave?" Alex countered with a shrug.

Will chewed his lower lip and wrung his hands together. "I think I know what we should get him. But we'll have to talk to mom first. Chad too probably."

"Oh, great," Alex sighed loudly. "That'll be a fantastic conversation."

"It's better than having it all blow up in our faces soon," Will argued.

"Yeah, alright," Alex agreed. "But you're setting it all up."

* * *

"Why are we here?" Alex questioned Sami.

"Everyone needs a picture with Santa," Sami huffed. "We just so happen to have a larger family now."

Sami and Alex were talking to each other while waiting in line with all four kids as well as Will and EJ. Allie and Ari realized they didn't have a picture with Santa. They demanded someone rectify the mistake. So, here they were on Christmas Eve, Eve standing in a giant line to meet Santa Claus.

"Alex," Ari whined. "I can't see Santa."

Alex heaved Ari into his arms so she could see over everyone's head.

"I see him," Ari pointed. "Allie, Allie, I see him."

"I told you," Allie replied. She looked at Sami. "She didn't believe me."

Meanwhile, behind them, Johnny was arguing with Sydney.

"I am telling you the egg nog one is gross," Johnny hissed.

"It's delicious," Sydney stomped her foot. "Daddy, tell him."

EJ shook his head. "Nope, you two need to learn to fight your own battles," EJ stated.

Johnny and Sydney both turned to stare at Will.

Will held up his hands. "Don't look at me. I don't like egg nog lattes or peppermint mochas."

"Who exactly decided those two were allowed to go to Starbucks?" EJ glared at Will.

"It wasn't me," Will defended. "Besides, I thought you Italians were all about your espressos."

"A latte and an espresso is not the same thing, William," EJ sighed.

"Yeah, well I'm pretty sure the latte is about as Italian as you are," Will teased. Seeing EJ's mouth open in shock, Will added, "We all know you're more British than anything."

"That has nothing to do with my heritage," EJ crossed his arms.

"I know," Will laughed.

* * *

Almost an hour later, Sami and Alex moved forward towards Santa with Allie and Ari in tow.

The elf in charge of corralling everyone put the rope back up to block Will, EJ, Sydney and Johnny from joining them.

"Uh," Sami pointed at the rest of her family. "They're with us."

"Sorry, Ma'am," the elf said. "Only four to a picture."

"Whatever," Alex was done with this experience. "Let's just do this."

Once they finished, they exited the area and went to buy their photo.

Will and EJ stood on one side of Santa while Sydney and an uncomfortable Johnny sat on Santa's lap.

Once the picture was taken they moved away from Santa and his elves to buy their picture. As they joined the rest of their group, they overheard a few peculiar comments from the employees.

"You know," one employee said as they handed Alex the photo and some candy canes. "You and your wife have very beautiful daughters."

Alex stared at the woman blankly before handing her some cash and walking away.

EJ was talking with a much older, creepier employee.

"That'll be $39.99," the man said dully. He grabbed EJ's cash, put it in the register, and went to get the photo.

The man glanced at it briefly before doing a double take.

He whistled before handing it to EJ. "Congratulations," the employee said. Noticing EJ's confusion, the man chuckled. "On the boy toy."

"Right," EJ ripped the photo out of the man's hand and left.

"Next year we're going to a reputable establishment and not the mall," EJ informed everyone.

Alex, realizing what that implied, turned around to glare at the man EJ was talking to.

"Let it go," Will advised.

"Hey," Sami shrugged as the children all ran ahead of them to a toy store nearby. "You and Alex could do a lot worse."

"Exactly," EJ said, wrapping his arm around Samantha's waist. "Although I'm not surprised in the slightest that everyone assumed we could land such young, handsome men."

"I don't know which part of this is the most disturbing," Alex commented. "But I don't like it."

"Quit worrying about that and worry about how we're going to get those four out without any tears," Will nodded towards the toy store.

"You're not exactly young anymore, are you?" Sami smiled widely at Alex.

Alex snorted. "I'm still younger than you," he snarked at her.

"It almost reminded me of when you were my intern," EJ informed Will.

"How?" Will wondered, completely puzzled.

"I never told you this story?" EJ asked. "Huh, I could have sworn I did."

Will shook his head.

"Anyway," EJ informed everyone. "When I was running for mayor there was one potential donner that was on the fence. Until you walked in the room that is," EJ looked at Will.

"Me?" Will frowned.

"The man was under the impression you were of the Monica Lewinsky form of intern," EJ replied delicately. "I did nothing to dissuade him otherwise."

"EJ," Will scolded.

"What?" EJ shrugged. "I got my check. He got the thrill of fantasizing about you. It was a win-win."

Sami shot EJ a distasteful look. "I knew Will working for you would lead to nothing but trouble."

"Like you wouldn't do the same, Darling," EJ grinned at her.

Seeing his children gathered near a robotic dinosaur, EJ pulled Samantha ahead.

That meant Will and Alex were left to try to find Ari, alone in a toy store.

Alex and Will looked at each other. At the same time they said, "Barbie aisle."

* * *

"I'm so excited. I can't wait," Ari told Will and Alex as she kicked at the back of Alex's seat.

"We're going to have dinner and maybe do some activities," Will reminded Ari. "And if you're good maybe Santa will let you open a present early."

"I can be good," Ari stopped kicking the seat. "I can and I will."

* * *

The previous year was the first with Alex as a member of their family. Everyone established a few traditions of their own. They all contributed to decorating a gingerbread house while watching cheesy stop-animation Christmas cartoons. Everyone had such a fun time laughing and decorating.

Sami was insistent that this year they try to replicate those memories.

Will went into the kitchen with his mom to see if he could help with any of the cooking. He opened a pot only to get his hand slapped away.

"Get out of my kitchen," Sami ordered. "This is a surprise dinner."

"Ow," Will pouted. "I was only trying to help."

"I know," Sami smiled. "I just want this to be good. If you want to help go set the table and find some wine."

'_I wonder what she's got planned,'_ Will thought.

* * *

"Hey," Johnny asked Alex and EJ. "Why don't we ever go to church?"

Alex shrugged. "Too lazy?"

"That is a good question," EJ nodded. "Beats me. Why? Are you interested in going?"

"No," Johnny replied. "I was just wondering."

"I'm not too big on the church-y, religion thing," Alex confessed. "It's never been for me."

'_Why isn't that surprising?'_ EJ mused.

Out loud, EJ said, "You seem like the Greek orthodox kind of boy."

"You'd think that but no," Alex responded.

"We always went to mass in Salem," EJ recalled. "I wonder why Samantha doesn't do that here."

Alex thought back for a moment. "Didn't Sami renew her vows to that Rafe guy on Christmas once?"

EJ narrowed his eyes. "Yes," he hissed.

"Oooh," Ari said from the floor where she was drawing a picture of the Christmas tree. "He sends me presents."

"That's because he's your uncle," Will told Ari as he walked into the room.

"You and mom can re-new your wedding vows too, you know? You don't have to get upset," Will reminded EJ.

"If your mother and I do that it won't be on Christmas," EJ sniffed. "I want nothing to be in the way of that moment including past memories."

"Hate to break it to you," Alex said. "No, scratch that, I'm looking forward to telling you. There's no wedding you could throw that wouldn't remind her of her previous ones."

Will smacked Alex on the back of the head.

"No hitting," Sydney called from her spot beside Ari. "If I can't hit my brother you can't hit my other one."

"Trust me when I say I am not his brother," Alex informed Sydney.

"Trust me," Johnny glared from the other end of the room. "We all know. Your room is next to mine."

Alex rolled his eyes.

"Do we need to go hiking again?" Johnny wondered.

"No," Alex said quickly.

EJ gazed between Johnny and Alex thoughtfully. "I don't know what that is but I approve."

"Everyone get in here," Sami hollered from the dining room. "It's dinner time!"

* * *

"Now," Sami said once everyone arrived. "Before we get started I have something to say."

Sami cleared her throat. "This year has had a lot of ups and downs. Our family has gone through some changes. We thought we lost some members." Sami's eyes strayed towards Will, thinking of his accident.

"We also got another member back," Sami leaned against EJ's steady form.

"I just wanted to say that I know we aren't perfect," Sami snorted. "Far from it, actually, but I think that's what I love about us the most. We're a ragtag group of flaws and complications. But we love each other because of that."

"I know that we've all been in a period of transition," Sami continued. "But I hope that we can all agree that we've never been happier."

Will smiled at his mom, squeezing Alex's hand.

EJ nodded. He had been back for nearly a month and it still was hard to take in. That he was here, with his family, welcomed.

"Now," Sami said with a grin, "Before we eat I have something for everyone."

"Presents," Ari and Sydney squealed.

"Almost," Sami retorted. She passed everyone a bag with Christmas theme on it. "I thought this would be a fun."

Everyone started tossing tissue paper out and onto the floor. Inside each bag was a black shirt. On the back of everyone's shirt was the phrase DiMera Horton Kiriakis family, Christmas 2016, and the individuals name. On the front was a picture of a flag. Will, Sami, and Allie had the Irish tricolor with the traditional green, white, and orange colors. EJ, Sydney, and Johnny had the Italian flag with the colors green, white, and red. Alex's shirt featured the Greek flag with its alternating blue and white stripes and a white cross in the left corner.

Ari stared at her shirt in confusion.

"I asked your mommy what to put on yours," Sami explained. "And she said to put the Argentinian flag."

Ari's shirt had a flag with blue stripes on the bottom and a white stripe in the middle with the Sun of May in the middle.

"Mom," Alex chuckled. "You are so cheesy."

"Shut up, son, and put on your shirt," Sami ordered.

Everyone put on their shirt and sat down at the table.

"To go with our cultural differences," Sami explained. "I made something from each region for dinner."

"For our Italians," Sami said. She waited for Sydney, Johnny, and EJ to stop cheering before continuing. "We have a shortened version of the Feast of the Seven Fishes." Sami took off the covering for one dish to reveal some baked clams.

"For our resident Greek," Sami looked at Alex who waved his hands in the air. "I learned way too much about pork slaughtering in winter. Anyway, we have lemon pork with celery."

"For the Irish," Sami said as Will and Allie whooped. "We have roast potatoes," she shot Alex a look as he laughed. "And Brussel sprouts."

"And for our Latina over here," Sami laughed at Ari's confused expression. "We have humita."

"Plus we have way too many desserts to get to so don't eat too much," Sami requested. "I might have gone crazy on the breads for breakfast also."

"So that's what you were doing in the kitchen the past few days," EJ nodded as he started dishing out the food.

"I just wanted to prove my point," Sami explained. "That even if we're all different we can go together."

* * *

Later, everyone was helping the kids decorate a few gingerbread houses. Sami came out with more desserts than anyone knew what to do with.

There was a zuppa inglese, an Italian layered cake. Also, Sami brought out melomakarona cookies, spiced Greek Christmas cookies, chocotorta a layered chocolate cake with dulce de leche, and also a plum pudding.

Everything seemed to be going well for everyone. Everyone was getting along and singing obnoxiously to the Christmas carols playing in the background. Then Alex opened his big mouth.

"Which one do you like best?" Alex asked indicating the desserts.

"I like this one," Sydney pointed to the chocolate cake.

"This one's my favorite," Johnny stated. He lifted up the Italian layered cake and shoved a strawberry in his mouth.

As everyone began telling him their favorites, Alex became offended. No one picked the Greek Christmas cookies.

"Come on, kid," Alex lifted a cookie under her nose. "You know you love it."

Ari sniffed and sighed. "I do like cookies. But I like chocolate more."

"Et tu, Brute?" Alex asked Ari tossing the cookie on the table.

"I'm Ari," Ari responded. She turned to her daddy and twirled her fingers in a circle around her head. "Cuckoo," she whispered.

"Alex," Will tried not to laugh. "You know she's not Greek."

"Don't talk to me," Alex crossed his arms.

"Oh, come on," Will threw his hands up. "You are being ridiculous! It's a cookie."

"No," Alex closed his eyes. "I'm off on my own. Just me and my democratic heritage."

"Now you're just being petty," Will sighed.

"What did the Irish ever invent? Potatoes?" Alex grumbled under his breath.

"What did you just say?" Sami demanded.

"Oh go find your pot of gold, you leprechaun," Alex shot back.

"You know where Greece is now in terms of importance?" EJ wondered hypothetically. "Bankrupt!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Will rolled his eyes. "Let's not go there, shall we?"

"Yeah," Allie wrinkled her nose. "You guys are like children."

"Besides," Johnny told everyone. "We all know which country is best."

"No one even say it," Will warned when he saw everyone opening their mouths.

"Alright," Sami agreed. She was still worked up about that potato comment though.

"I thought we were celebrating our differences." Will stepped on Alex's foot under the table. "Not arguing about them."

Alex winced and uncrossed his arms. Even he knew he was just being ridiculous now.

"Fine," Alex said almost as if the words were pulled out of his throat. "The cake thing is pretty good."

EJ, sensing the proverbial olive branch, clapped Alex on the back. "I'll take one of those cookies."

* * *

A while later in the kitchen, Ari snuck up on Alex and yanked on his new family shirt.

"Alex," Ari chewed her lip and wrung her hands together.

"What?" Alex frowned seeing that familiar nervous tic.

'_At least now I know it's a Horton thing,'_ Alex thought.

"Are you mad at me?" Ari stared into Alex's eyes sadly.

"No," Alex insisted. He pulled Ari over to the kitchen table and sat them both down.

"I just," Alex sighed. "I just don't like the reminder that I'm the only one on my own here. You guys are all related and I'm not."

"But daddy and EJ aren't related," Ari said logically. "And I know they love each other. And grammie calls you her son all the time and you didn't come out of her tummy."

Alex chuckled. "Thank god for that," he replied. "OK, I guess you're right."

"Duh," Ari told him. "Besides," she pulled on her own shirt. "We're both on the outside. They have their own flags. Ours are different."

"You're Irish too, kid," Alex said. "But you're right. We need to stick together."

"Our flags match too," Ari pointed between Alex's shirt and hers.

"Blue and white for the win," Alex and Ari bumped fists.

* * *

Before it was time for the children to go to bed, everyone gathered in the front room. The rarely used fireplace was on and filling the house with warmth. The stockings were all hung, waiting for morning. The Christmas tree, tucked into the corner, emitted a warm glow from the lights.

Everyone cuddled up on the couch in the Christmas pajamas Sami bought everyone. Johnny and Allie were sitting on one side of EJ. Sydney was sitting on Sami's lap. Ari sandwiched herself between Will and Alex on the love seat. Everyone was waiting for EJ to read them a story.

"Why exactly am I doing this?" EJ questioned. He didn't mind the attention or the fact that everyone wanted him to read.

"You're the one with the accent," Alex said. "So use it."

EJ cleared his throat before beginning. "Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house…"

* * *

"Daddy, Alex," Ari asked sleepily from her bed. "Can I stay up and wait for Santa?"

"No, baby girl," Will brushed her hair away from her forehead. "You're already falling asleep."

"But I need my presents," Ari said around a yawn.

"Few more hours, kid," Alex promised.

"Yay," Ari sighed, snuggling into her bed.

Will and Alex both stayed with Ari until she was fast asleep.

* * *

Alex and Will walked down the stairs hand in hand to see Sami and EJ sitting on the couch. They each had a glass of mulled wine.

Will smiled when he saw the two extra glasses set out for them. He knew this was probably the best time to give EJ his present despite the late hour.

"I bet you didn't notice what I had stitched on the inside of your shirts," Sami told Will and Alex. "Well, just the adults."

Will, Alex, and EJ all grabbed the hem of their shirt and pulled it up. Will laughed loudly when he saw what his mother was talking about.

"It fits," Sami shrugged.

Sami had a phrase stitched into their shirts. "The jolliest bunch of assholes this side of the nuthouse."

"I think I need to wear this around Adrienne tomorrow," Alex informed everyone.

"I was thinking the same thing about Lucas," EJ revealed.

Alex and EJ lifted their wine glasses and clinked them together.

"On that happy note," Will shook his head. "Um, EJ, we kind of want to talk to you about your gift."

"You didn't have to get me anything," EJ told William.

"Trust me, I didn't want to," Alex assured him.

Will ignored Alex. "You and I," Will started telling EJ, "Have been talking a lot about how you feel about the past. About how you're afraid you might do something to jeopardize what you have now."

EJ nodded, curious where this was going.

"Alex and I talked to mom," Will confessed. "And we've all came up with a solution that we think will make everyone happy."

"What are you talking about?" EJ demanded. He didn't understand what this was about.

"This is about you wanting revenge on Clyde Weston," Sami stated. "So, your gift is exactly that."

"I," EJ looked at the three distinct, serious faces around him. "I don't understand."

Alex, arm draped loosely around Will's shoulders, explained. "We found a way to get rid of Weston on your behalf."

"What?" EJ planted his feet on the floor, sitting up straight. "What did you do?"

Will bit his lip. This was the part he was nervous about.

"EJ, we all know what kind of person you are," Will said. "And we get that. We all accept that. None of us are perfect. We've all done some bad things in our day. But that doesn't define us."

"I knew sooner or later you would want to go after Clyde," Will revealed. "So, we jumped the gun and had it taken care of."

"By who?" EJ sputtered out.

"Chad," Will answered. "With the help of Stefano and Victor."

EJ stared incredulously. "You aren't making any sense," he whispered.

"I called Chad," Will admitted. "A few days ago. I told him about what we talked about. He went to Stefano. He didn't say anything about you being alive. He made up some story about hearing it around town. That Clyde was bragging about taking on both Stefano and Victor."

"Stefano had a meeting with my uncle," Alex continued. "They dealt with Clyde Weston. That's all we need to know."

EJ put his head in his hands.

"I thought this wasn't what you wanted anymore," EJ said a few minutes later. He looked at Samantha. "I thought you finished your schemes and plots and, and anything to do with my father."

"I did," Sami insisted. "But this is different. I know you, EJ."

Sami grabbed both of his hands. "You wouldn't let it go. You'd think about it, wishing you could do something. I didn't want you to come to resent me for preventing you from doing what you wanted."

"And," Sami added. "I can admit that the idea of that stupid hick wandering around that town unchallenged made me sick. He almost took you away from me. Hell, he did take you away."

"I did what I had to do," Sami stated firmly. "We did what we had to do. If getting rid of one asshole was what it took to make you a part of this family I was willing to do it."

"We all were, EJ," Will promised.

"You can take the people out of Salem but you can't take the Salem out of the people," Alex replied. "Besides, we technically didn't do anything."

EJ leaned back on the couch and sighed.

"For Christmas," EJ chuckled sadly, "You had a man killed for me."

"Nothing says Happy Holidays like murder," Alex nodded.

"Admit that you love the present," Sami ordered. "I know you do."

EJ smiled. "Yeah, OK, I do feel better now."

"Plus," Will grinned. "Your father found out who hurt you and he took care of it without a thought. Failing health and all and he got it taken care of."

EJ nodded appreciatively. Somehow Samantha, William, and Alexander managed to give EJ something priceless. EJ got reassurance that his father truly loved him. Also, complete and utter acceptance into the family.

'_Who cares if it took the death of one hillbilly,'_ EJ thought as he put his arm around Samantha. EJ looked between Will and Alex's warm embrace and the contentment on Samantha's face. EJ knew he was right where he belonged.

* * *

Will pressed his face into Alex's chest, deep asleep. The two had participated in their own tradition of staying up into the early hours making love on Christmas Eve. The two at least had the sense of mind to put on their pajamas after they finished.

Ari, Sydney, Allie, and Johnny all tiptoed into Will and Alex's room.

"Thank god," Johnny whispered. "They're wearing pants."

"Why wouldn't they?" Sydney asked.

"I'll tell you when you're older," Johnny replied.

"Let's wake 'em up," Ari giggled. She was too excited to wait any longer.

All four kids hopped on the bed and began jumping up and down.

"Wake up," Ari ordered. "It's Christmas! We have to open presents!"

Will grunted when he felt a foot colliding with his stomach, dangerously close to his groin.

"Gah," Will complained.

"No," Alex stated, turning onto his stomach and hiding his head under a pillow.

"Yes," Johnny snatched the pillow. He started hitting Alex over the head with it. "Up!"

"Go get mom and EJ," Will groaned. "We'll be downstairs in five."

Alex sat up and rubbed his eyes.

Johnny whacked him over the face once more. "You know what that's for," he said.

"Why doesn't Will ever get smacked?" Alex protested.

As the kids all ran out of the room, Will kissed the pout off of Alex's lips.

* * *

Over an hour later, all four kids were surrounded by heaps of wrapping paper and toys.

Will and Alex had caved and bought Ari everything on her list. The look on her face when she opened her presents was worth it though.

"Looks like you've all got enough to keep busy until everyone else gets here," Alex yawned. "Now, I'm taking a nap."

"Nope," EJ stated. "They all actually have one more present. Everyone go put on your shoes and a jacket. We need to take a walk."

The community that Sami, EJ, and the kids lived in had impeccable amenities. There was a golf course, a gym, and a volleyball court. Also, there was a basketball court, several parks, a community pool, and even a stable.

As soon as they turned a corner and the stable came into sight, Will groaned. None of them had been to the stable before since it was only for those that owned horses.

"EJ," he glared at him.

"What?" EJ asked innocently. "I am a man of the people. I knew I couldn't get just one though. There was no way they would share. I had to get four."

"Now we'll never hear the end of this," Alex said in horror. "I hate you. I hate you so much."

The children had been chitchatting about their toys. All seemed to realize where they were at the same time.

"Oh. My. God," Allie gasped.

Sydney started jumping up and down hysterically.

Johnny, attempting to be calmer than his sisters, gave a manic grin.

Ari was rendered speechless.

Just then a few stable hands brought out the horses.

"To get the horses," EJ declared. "You all have to be responsible for your own. That means grooming, feeding, mucking out the stalls, and riding. The stable will help of course but I will be monitoring everything."

"Do you think you can handle that?" Sami questioned. She knew it didn't matter. They would all do whatever they could to get their hands on their own horse.

The children all called out their promises and reassurances.

EJ nodded. "Then go pick out your horse."

EJ dashed out of the way as the kids nearly ran him over.

Will and Alex made their way over to Ari who was petting a white horse. She couldn't take her eyes off of it, staring at him in awe.

"Is this one yours?" Alex asked her.

"Uh huh," Ari nodded. She reached her hand out to touch his nose the way the stable hand showed her. She laughed in delight when he blew out against her.

"What are you going to name him?" Will wondered, petting its flank.

"I want to name him Princess Celestia," Ari decided.

"Oh for the love of god," Alex huffed. "Damn that My Little Pony."

"Ari," Will sighed. "At least name him Shinning Armor."

"OK," Ari agreed after a moment. "He looks like Shinning Armor. You want to be Shinning Armor don't you?" she asked her horse. "Yes, you do."

"I don't know what's sadder," Alex said. "Her talking to a horse or you and me knowing the characters from _Friendship is Magic_."

EJ, walking over, asked, "Do you like your present?"

Ari started chanting, "I love you! I love you! I love you! I love you!"

"Is she talking to me or the horse?" EJ looked at Will.

"You may never know," Will nodded sagely.

* * *

"What time is everyone supposed to get here?" Will asked once they were back at the house.

It had taken ages to drag the kids away from the horses.

"How the hell would I know?" Alex replied. He was frustrated trying to detach all of the toys from their boxes.

'_Who the hell puts this many plastic ties on a toy?'_ he thought.

"It's your family's jet," Will said logically.

"Jet?" Ari asked from beside Will. "Who has a jet? Why don't we get to use a jet?"

"We don't need a jet," Will told her firmly.

"As I said," Alex repeated. "How would I know? It's a jet. It gets here when they tell it to."

"Well, I'm hungry," Will whined.

"Me too," Sydney agreed.

"Let's eat without them," Alex nodded. "But everyone needs to go put our family shirts back on."

That's how the rest of the Kiriakis and Horton family found them.

_Ding Dong_

"It's open," Will yelled from his spot on the couch. He had a plate of various breakfast foods and ethnic treats on his plate.

In walked Joey, Vic, Justin, Kate, Sonny, Paul, Lucas, and Adrienne.

"Merry Christmas," Joey boisterously declared. He was carrying a giant sack of presents.

"Uncle Joey," Ari cheered. She shoveled the rest of her food into her mouth before jumping over the back of the couch.

"Hey, princess," Joey lifted her up to kiss her forehead. "Did Santa come and visit you?"

"Uh huh," Ari nodded enthusiastically.

"Budge over," Vic hipchecked Joey out of his way. "Merry Christmas, sweet pea," he told Ari.

Ari gave Vic a large hug. "Did you miss me?" she asked seriously.

"Of course," Vic promised.

Will and Alex turned so they could look over the back of the couch.

"Uh," Will said watching as Sonny, Paul, Justin, and his dad all dropped several bags on the floor before turning around back outside. A few moments later they all came in with even more presents.

"Grandma," Will said weakly. "What did you do?"

"What?" Kate hung up her coat. "Like I wasn't going to go overboard? Do you remember what I was like with only one grandchild?"

"I know you have an aversion to your age," Will said dryly. "But you have several grandchildren and Ari is your great-granddaughter."

Kate's face took on a pinched look. "I bought things for all the children, William," she smacked his shoulder.

"Merry Christmas, Grandma," Will laughed.

"You too, dear," Kate patted Alex's arm. "You as well, Alex."

Alex stood up and went over to the twins. They gave each other manly one-armed hugs and pats on the back.

"Baby brother," Joey teased when he saw Will. "How are you?"

"Good," Will laughed. "How's life in Salem?"

"Surprisingly boring," Joey stated.

"Alex," Justin called, walking over. He pulled his son into a tight hug.

Alex tensed slightly before relaxing. He could admit that he had missed his dad just a little bit.

"How's everything going?" Justin asked.

"Real good," Alex nodded.

"Nice shirt," Justin said looking Alex over.

"It's a long story," Alex laughed and scratched the back of his head.

"I can see that," Justin responded.

Will, walking over to join them, was caught off guard when Justin yanked him into a hug.

"Oh," Will said, eyes wide. "Hi, Justin."

"Hi," Justin smiled. "You too with the shirt. What is going on?"

"We've gotten into a bit of a cultural war," Alex informed him.

"Alex and I are blue," Ari loudly said before vaulting into Justin's arms. "Hi, Gampa."

"Hello, beautiful," Justin told her, accepting a big kiss on the cheek.

Ari hopped back to the floor and dragged Justin over to her pile of toys.

Will and Alex were face to face with Paul and Sonny.

'_Welp,'_ Will thought_. 'This is nice and awkward.'_

"Merry Christmas," Will finally said to cut through the tension.

Sonny and Paul parroted the phrase back.

"We're actually only going to be here for a few hours," Sonny revealed. "Then we're going up to San Francisco."

"Seeing your mom and grandpa?" Will asked Paul pleasantly.

"Yeah," Paul nodded. "Figured might as well."

"Right," Will nodded too. "I'd say to tell them I said hello but it's probably better if I didn't," Will laughed weakly.

"Yeah, that's a safer bet," Paul clapped Will on the shoulder and moved towards Joey and Vic.

"It's nice to see you," Sonny said. "Both of you."

"You too," Alex finally said. He gave Sonny a small smile.

Will turned to his father and Adrienne lingering near the back. It was a tough decision on whether to invite them.

Considering what happened between Adrienne and his mom at the reception the month before. Will wasn't sure if it would be a good idea.

'_Not to mention what happened between Joey and my mom,'_ Will frowned.

But after a lot of talking everyone agreed to act like adults.

'_At least on our end,'_ Will remembered. _'Who knows what Adrienne is going to do? Or dad when he sees EJ.'_

"Dad," Will finally said. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas," Lucas responded. He pulled Will into a bone-crushing hug. "You have no idea how much I missed you," Lucas said quietly. "You and Allie."

"Well, I'd hope so," Will said. He didn't know how to respond to that admission.

Alex reluctantly hugged Adrienne. "Merry Christmas," he said.

Adrienne, too desperate for any kind of affection from Alex, didn't care how insincere he sounded. She really had thought she blew any chance she might have had by causing that scene at the reception.

Adrienne and Lucas had a long talk before leaving that morning. They both promised to do everything they could to make this holiday a success. They knew if they didn't it would likely be the last one they were invited to.

"Allie," Will called out. He knew Allie was apprehensive about seeing their father again.

She had confided in Will the other night about it. About how happy she was EJ was back. How she wished her own father was that loving and supportive. How nervous she was that if she saw him and got her hopes up again he would disappoint her.

Will didn't have any answers for her. But he hoped that Lucas wouldn't let her down.

'_From the looks of it though,'_ Will noted. _'Dad's just about as scared as she is.'_

Will left Allie with their father. They both looked like they needed a moment together.

"Adrienne," Will greeted politely.

"Will," Adrienne gave him a careful smile. "Merry Christmas."

Will and Alex turned around and headed towards the front of the room. Will had something he needed to say before EJ made his big reveal.

As they turned Adrienne caught sight of the back of their shirts.

'_Oh god,'_ she frowned. _'Doesn't the sight of that make me sick to my stomach?'_

Will clapped his hands and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

"Hi," Will awkwardly waved. "Um," he was already regretting being the one to do this.

'_Then again there's no way in hell I was gonna let Alex give a speech,'_ he remembered.

"We just wanted to say Merry Christmas and thank you for coming," Will said. "And we have breakfast in the kitchen for everyone. Also, a bit of a surprise in there too."

Allie, Ari, Johnny, and Sydney all ran into the kitchen first. They wanted to see everyone's reaction.

Ari and Sydney, being the smallest, got to sit on EJ's lap. Allie and Johnny dragged chairs over to sit right next to him. Sami, meanwhile, was making sure there were enough plates and cutlery as well as cups out for coffee.

Joey and Vic were the first to stroll into the kitchen, chatting about how hungry they were. Having no idea who EJ was, neither paid him much attention.

Joey, over his romp with Sami, glanced at the man at the table.

'_Huh, must be Sami's boyfriend,'_ Joey thought. _'Damnit, he's all good looking. This does not look good for me that she moved on to someone hotter.'_

"Sami," Vic greeted. "Thank you for having us over."

"Of course," Sami nodded. She caught Joey's eyes and quickly turned away.

It wasn't that she was embarrassed. It was odd though now to see him after what happened between them before.

'_Especially with EJ in the room,'_ Sami thought, distracting herself.

Next came Sonny and Paul. Both were sticking close to Joey and Vic. Paul saw the guy at the kitchen table and furrowed his eyebrows.

'_Where have I seen that guy before?_' Paul wondered. He was almost certain it was in an article he had read once.

Sonny cautiously smiled at Sami. He looked towards the kids, his heart giving a throbbing pang at the sight of Arianna. When Sonny turned away he had to look back quickly.

Sonny's jaw dropped open. _'What the hell?'_

Kate and Justin waltzed into the room. "Sami," Kate greeted. "It smells lovely in here. You have to…" she trailed off seeing EJ sitting in the kitchen.

Justin, hand low on Kate's back, paused and stared.

Lucas and Adrienne walked into the room. Adrienne saw EJ first.

"Oh my god," she whispered, hands over her mouth.

EJ, surrounded by children, watched on with increasing amusement.

"Why is everyone stopping?" Lucas asked before turning to see what everyone was staring at.

"What the hell?" Lucas spat out, stunned.

"Surprise," Will said, laughing as he walked into the room.

"Guess who's back from the dead?" Alex announced.

"What? How? Why? What is this?" Lucas repeated, sounding increasingly desperate.

"Daddy," Allie said excitedly. "EJ's back! Isn't that awesome?"

EJ smirked when Allie rested her head on his shoulder.

"How is this possible?" Justin questioned.

"You know how DiMera's never seem to stay dead?" EJ asked rhetorically. "That's a bit like this."

"Wow," Kate said. "In a way I don't find this shocking at all."

"Who the hell is this?" Vic demanded. He didn't like being out of the loop.

"Nonno, Shinning Armor," Ari yelled happily.

Alex closed his eyes. "Words, kid," he told her.

"Oh, right," Ari said. "Nonno bought me Shinning Armor. Now, he's my favorite."

"What?" Joey squawked. "I didn't understand half of that but what?"

"Sami," Lucas gritted through his teeth. "Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"Why would I?" Sami shrugged. "You didn't tell me you were getting married. I didn't think I needed to tell you my husband was back from the grave."

"Oh," Paul said out loud. "Now I know where I saw him, Will's article."

Will lifted his eyebrows at Paul in disbelief. He remembered the one and only time he talked to Paul about that article.

Paul snapped his mouth shut.

Everyone began speaking at once.

"How did this happen?" Justin shook his head.

"I can't believe this," Adrienne said, rubbing Lucas' back comfortingly.

"Look how happy the kids are," Kate commented.

"How can he be the favorite?" Joey pouted.

"This whole family got even more dysfunctional," Vic shook his head.

"When did you read any of Will's articles?" Sonny demanded.

"Well," EJ said to Will and Alex. "That went just about as well as I expected."

"No kidding," Will rolled his eyes.

* * *

"So," Justin sat down next to EJ in the front room. The children were all diving into the mountains of toys. "You're really back?"

"Yep," EJ nodded. "For just about a month now. It hasn't been smooth sailing but we're all working on it."

"Your son," EJ admitted a bit reluctantly. "He's good with William."

Justin chuckled. "It's a bit strange though," Justin smiled looking at Alex.

Will was sitting on the floor. Alex was behind him on the sofa, hands on Will's shoulders. Ari was in Will's lap, opening her gifts.

"It's not that strange," EJ stated.

"But you and Kate," EJ laughed. "Now that is odd."

"No, it's not," Justin defended.

"Been there, done that," EJ smirked, recalling when he first arrived in Salem.

Justin narrowed his eyes at EJ. "Joey slept with Sami at Will and Alex's reception. Just thought you ought to know," Justin revealed.

Justin walked away with a smirk of his own.

'_Who the hell is Joey?'_ EJ growled. His face was morphing into something indistinguishable.

* * *

"Samantha, Darling," EJ wrapped his arms around Sami while alone in the kitchen.

"Hmm?" Sami smiled as he nuzzled at her neck.

"Which one is Joey?" EJ murmured.

Sami froze. "You don't need to worry about it," she turned to face EJ.

"I want to know," EJ informed her.

"You don't," Sami rubbed along his arms and shoulders. "He's harmless."

"Samantha-," EJ began.

"Nope," Sami put a finger over EJ's mouth. "Don't even say it."

EJ knew realistically he had nothing to worry about. Samantha was his. She always would be his. But that didn't stop the primal part of him wanting to stake his claim.

EJ also knew he was in no position to feel upset. Samantha slept with a man two years after her husband's death. EJ slept with someone several times while engaged to Samantha. If he was smarter, EJ would keep his mouth shut.

"But-," EJ tried again.

Sami set her jaw. "No," Sami hissed.

Sami had moved on from EJ's indiscretion from before his death. But that didn't mean she wanted to be reminded of it.

EJ hung his head. "You're right," he whispered. "I apologize."

"Thank you," Sami conceded. She kissed EJ briefly.

"I still don't like him," EJ grumbled.

Sami laughed. "Good," she teased.

"This is some gathering," EJ commented. "You've slept with me, Lucas, and Joey. Kate's slept with me and Justin. Lucas' slept with you and Adrienne. And Will's been with Alex and Sonny."

Sami shook her head. "Don't tell Joey that. He'll tell you how everyone is related."

* * *

"Is anyone ever going to tell me what a Shinning Armor is?" Joey wondered. Almost everyone was in the backyard playing.

Alex and Justin were setting up a play house Kate had bought the girls. Will, Johnny, and EJ were assembling a swing set. Somehow Joey, Vic, Paul, and Sonny had been roped into playing Barbie dolls with the girls.

"He is my new pony," Ari stated.

"You have a pony?" Sonny asked carefully. He still wasn't sure how to act around Ari.

'_What do you say to someone you thought of as yours for half her life?'_ Sonny sighed. _'Especially after what happened when they came to Salem.'_

"Of course," Ari tossed her hair over her shoulder. "We all do."

"Is this a real pony?" Vic queried.

"Yes," Sydney laughed. "Daddy bought us ponies! You can see them later when we take them for a walk."

"Your dad bought you all horses?" Paul asked feeling impressed.

"Daddy's the best," Allie informed him.

Lucas, walking nearby, almost tripped hearing Allie refer to EJ as 'Daddy'.

'_I have to make more of an effort. I have to,'_ Lucas vowed. _'I can't lose both my children.'_

* * *

A few hours later, everything was put together, attached, or had batteries shoved into it. Alex was exhausted. He wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed with Will as his blanket.

Unfortunately, he knew that wasn't going to happen.

Sonny and Paul had left a few minutes ago, later than they anticipated. Both were shocked by how much fun they had and how accepting everyone had been. Frankly, Alex felt surprised too.

Lucas was sitting outside talking with Will and Allie. Alex figured he should at least let them have their alone time. He knew that deep down Will and Allie both wanted to have some form of a relationship with their father.

Johnny was forcing Justin and Kate to look at all the pictures he had taken recently. Sydney and Ari had both crashed on the couch a few minutes before. Alex was fairly certain Adrienne was talking with Sami in the kitchen.

'_That's scary,'_ Alex thought. He closed his eyes, hoping to join Syd and Ari in a nap.

"Wake up," EJ smacked Alex's shoulder. "Come here," he ordered.

Alex grudgingly followed EJ into the home office down the hall. Will used to do some writing in the office and after that it was mostly empty.

Now, it was full of Sami's wedding planning things. Alex smiled though when he saw the pictures they took the other day with Santa already in a frame on the desk.

EJ sat across from Alex. He tried to think about what he wanted to say.

"I envy you, I suppose," EJ confessed to Alex, catching him by surprise. "You managed to escape your family, make a life for yourself. You didn't let yourself be caught up in their messes or problems. You have a normal, stable life."

"And that's what you want?" Alex assumed. He waited a few moments. "You could do that too. You could talk to your dad and still be whoever you want to be. It can't be that hard."

"You've never met my father," EJ commented. "But I'll have to decide soon. William's right. Sooner or later he'll find out that I'm here."

Alex nodded. He wasn't really sure where this was going.

"Anyway," EJ shook his head, trying to concentrate. "I brought you in here to give you a present."

"Really?" Alex asked dubiously.

"Yes," EJ knew that was hard to believe. "I know that I've been struggling with my own feelings about my family."

"Well," EJ recanted. "My biological family. This family," EJ gestured to the pictures they took the other day with Santa, "No questions. What I meant was it's a heavy thing to want facets of your family but have them hidden to you."

"OK," Alex was lost.

"So," EJ pulled a manila envelope out of a desk drawer. "During my free time I did a little digging."

Alex took the proffered envelope. He looked at the envelope then back to EJ.

"Will said you always wondered about your mother," EJ stated. "Now you can find out."

Alex sat with the envelope in his hands as EJ walked out of the room. Alex took a deep breath before standing up. He walked upstairs, tossed the envelope on the bed, and left.

That was something he would have to think about another day.

* * *

"Oh my god," Ari squealed practically vibrating with excitement. "I'm riding him. Daddy, Alex, I'm riding him."

"You're sitting on him," Alex said. Seeing Will's stern look, Alex amended, "But you're doing awesome."

"Now," the stable hand said, "Let's see if you can get him to move."

Ari followed the directions he gave her earlier and before she knew it the horse moved.

Ari screamed before lowering her voice. She didn't want to spook Shinning Armor.

Shinning Armor took another step and then another.

Ari patted his mane. "You're the best horsie, yes you are."

Will looked over to see his siblings all making the same progress with their own horses.

Will almost couldn't believe the progress his family had made in such a short amount of time.

Two years ago, his siblings and his mom were miserable. Will was on the verge of ruining his own marriage. A year ago, Will was happy. Ari and Will had found Alex. His siblings had been coming around. Sami was adjusting.

'_And now?'_ Will thought watching his brother and sisters with his mom and EJ. _'Everyone is happy.'_

It also reminded Will of something.

Will moved closer to Alex, stepping into his welcoming arms.

"Remember that time you watched Ari for me? And you said you would never babysit again?" Will reminded Alex.

"I've got a vague recollection," Alex replied.

"Just remember that moment," Will rubbed his hands up and down Alex's chest.

Alex looked over the four children learning how to sit on their horses.

"This is not how I pictured my life," Alex confessed, deadpan.

"I know," Will smiled. "It's way better."

"Something like that," Alex said before kissing Will.

* * *

Author's Note:

Just warning, there's only going to be one more chapter for this story. I have several other projects in the works though. Hopefully they'll get the same warm response this one got.

Please let me know what you thought of this chapter.

Thank you for reading!

Iluvh0rs3s, you're always so instrumental in this. I appreciate it immensely.


	20. Chapter 20

_I've dealt with my ghosts and I've faced all my demons__  
__Finally content with a past I regret__  
__I've found you find strength in your moments of weakness__  
__For once I'm at peace with myself__  
__I've been burdened with blame, trapped in the past for too long__  
__I'm movin' on_

_I've lived in this place and I know all the faces__  
__Each one is different but they're always the same__  
__They mean me no harm but it's time that I face it__  
__They'll never allow me to change__  
__But I never dreamed home would end up where I don't belong__  
__I'm movin' on_

_I'm movin' on__  
__At last I can see life has been patiently waiting for me__  
__And I know there's no guarantees, but I'm not alone__  
__There comes a time in everyone's life__  
__When all you can see are the years passing by__  
__And I have made up my mind that those days are gone_

_I sold what I could and packed what I couldn't__  
__Stopped to fill up on my way out of town__  
I've loved like I should but lived like I shouldn't  
__I had to lose everything to find out__  
__Maybe forgiveness will find me somewhere down this road__  
__I'm movin' on_

_I'm movin' on__  
__I'm movin' on_

_Rascal Flatts, "I'm Movin' On"_

* * *

Will got out the last three plates from the kitchen cupboard and put them next to the stove. He dished up the breakfast he had made. He knew Alex and Ari would be downstairs soon enough.

After putting the plates on the table, Will went back into the kitchen. He got a carton of orange juice from the refrigerator. Will went to grab some glasses.

'_Huh,'_ Will thought when he saw the only glasses were the old ones shoved in the back. _'I really need to run the dishwasher.'_

Will stood on his tiptoes to reach the last few cups. He found two plastic ones he and Alex saved from a trip to a baseball game and one of Ari's old sippy cups.

Will could still remember when he packed it up while still in Salem.

'_God, she was so small then,'_ Will recalled. All he could think of was holding Ari in his arms as they wandered through town. He remembered how small she was, how delicate. That it took ages for her to talk and grow out of her shell.

"Shut up, Alex," Ari's echoing voice bellowed from upstairs.

'_Don't have to worry about that anymore,'_ Will chuckled.

Lost in his memories, Will absentmindedly took the lid off the sippy cup. He poured some orange juice in it for Ari.

"Breakfast," Will yelled up the stairs. He heard two equally loud and slightly obnoxious voices reply.

"Daddy," Ari clomped down the stairs. "Tell Alex my shoes are awesome."

Will glanced at the shoes she got for Christmas. They were bright pink, sparkly and lit up with every step she took.

"Your shoes are nice," Will said reasonably. "It doesn't matter if Alex likes them though. It matters if you like them."

Ari stuck her tongue out at Alex in triumph.

Alex sat down at his seat at the table. "I shouldn't have to deal with this so early in the morning," Alex informed Will.

"Uh huh," Will rolled his eyes.

Alex kicked Will's leg with his foot. He caught his eyes and said, "Thanks for breakfast though."

"Yeah, Daddy," Ari responded through a mouthful of pancakes. "S'yummy."

"It's good," Alex agreed. "But what's with the cups?"

"Sorry," Will sheepishly replied. "I've been getting so caught up in my writing. I keep getting behind on the dishes."

"I could do them too if I cared enough," Alex shrugged. "So, you're making progress on the writing?"

"Well," Will sighed. "I keep writing but it doesn't seem like it's going anywhere."

"It will eventually," Alex flashed Will a sincere smile. He knew one of these days Will would find the inspiration he needed to write something brilliant.

"Can we go visit Shinning Armor after school?" Ari asked once she finally swallowed.

Alex sighed thinking about that damn horse.

Will laughed. "Yep, that's the plan," Will told Ari.

'_At least the horse has been teaching her some responsibility,'_ Will shook his head.

Several minutes later, Will stood at the front door to wish Alex and Ari a good day.

"Do you remember what you have to do today?" Will kneeled down so he was eyelevel with Ari.

"Yes," Ari said resentfully. She traced one toe on the floor. "Tell Sebastian that I'm sorry for punching him."

"Are you going to hit him again?" Will questioned.

"No," Ari sighed. "I'll tell the teacher instead."

"Good," Will praised. He kissed the top of her head.

"I still don't know why our kid has to apologize," Alex pointed out. "He bit her first."

"Because he said he was sorry yesterday," Will reminded Alex. "And Ari didn't."

"Playground politics," Alex huffed.

"She needs to learn two wrongs don't make a right," Will commented. He looked over Ari as she put on her coat and backpack.

'_God, when did she get this big?' _Will thought.

"You OK?" Alex asked with a frown.

"Yeah," Will swallowed. "Just realizing my baby isn't that much of a baby anymore."

"Nope," Alex looked over Ari too. "But on the bright side I'll always be your baby."

Will lightly smacked Alex's chest. "You're an idiot," Will declared.

"But I'm your idiot," Alex puckered his lips dramatically.

"Don't I know it," Will answered. He wrapped his arms around Alex's neck and gave him a deep kiss.

Ari cringed. "Ew," she shivered. "Why are you using your tongues?"

"You'll figure that out when you're older," Will told her.

"Uh, no," Alex said. "She's never figuring that out. She will stay single forever."

"Ha," Will laughed. "With her genes? Good luck with that."

Alex shot Will a stern glare.

Will smiled and kissed him one more time.

* * *

As soon as the two left, Will started the dishwasher. Then Will went to set up his writing station for the day. He made some coffee, grabbed his laptop, a pen and notebook, and made sure his phone was nearby but on silent.

However, when Will went to get started he found himself distracted. He kept thinking about that sippy cup and how much Ari had grown.

Giving into the distraction, Will stood up. He went to look at the various pictures around the house of Ari over the years. The photos portrayed Ari as a small, red-faced newborn all the way up to her opening presents on Christmas a few weeks prior.

The only time in Ari's life there were no pictures from was the months between Will and Sonny's divorce. Right when Will and Ari moved to California.

'_Well, I do have photos,'_ Will reminded himself. He walked over to the bookshelf where they kept their photo albums. There was a photo-safe box that had various pictures that had yet to be sorted. In the collection were the few photos Will had from the saddest months in Ari's short life.

Every picture showed Ari staring blankly at the camera, dark circles under her eyes. You could see how listless she appeared. The pictures including Will showed him looking almost exactly the same. Pale skin, dark circles, permanent frown marring their features.

Will glanced up at one of the pictures on the wall and saw Ari and himself. Bright smiles, wide eyes, red cheeks, and Alex standing right in the middle of them. The picture was from months ago.

'_Almost a year from this one,_' Will looked back at the photo in his hand. _'So much has changed from then.'_

Will shoved the picture back in the box and slammed the lid closed. He hurriedly placed it back on the shelf and sunk onto the couch.

Will had not thought back to those last few months in Salem in a long time. Not since he, Alex, and Ari visited Salem a while ago. Most of the time Will preferred to keep the past in the past. He did so much obsessing over it to last a lifetime. He would go over each and every mistake he had ever made. Mistakes with Sonny, with his friends, with his mom, everyone. Over and over until he could think of nothing else. Until he had convinced himself he was nothing short of a monster, irredeemable, and unworthy.

Upon making the decision to move to California though, Will slowly started to break from that toxic thinking. Now, Will could admit his own mistakes without them consuming his thoughts. He could take blame for what he did yet admit it wasn't entirely his fault. Will found an equal balance between admitting his faults and not blaming others in a way he never had before.

Will closed his eyes and breathed in and out slowly. When he opened his eyes again, Will stood up and went back to his laptop. He was suddenly inspired to write something entirely new.

* * *

Will had been typing away for a few solid hours when he saw his phone light up. He had a new email. Finishing his sentence, Will figured he needed a break. First, Will took a sip of his now cool coffee before picking up his phone.

The email was from his father. Ever since Christmas, Lucas had revitalized his efforts with Will and Allie. He would email Will several times a day and would call Allie every night. At first it was unsettling. Will grew accustomed to his father being an absent presence in his life. But over the last few days things had gotten better.

It almost felt like it was a few years ago, back when Lucas and Will were close. Lucas was no longer afraid of holding things back from Will for fear he would lose him. Will appreciated the candor verses his father having to watch what he said. Plus, there was something easier about communicating through messages versus on the phone. Will could respond at his leisure. Unfortunately, Adrienne still hadn't caught up to that concept.

Adrienne tried with Alex but Will got the feeling she still expected too much too fast. Adrienne had been disillusioned about her perfect family in the past few years. Will knew she just wanted that allusion of normalcy back.

'_But Alex isn't like that,'_ Will knew. _'Alex takes time and it has to be on his terms.' _

Adrienne and Alex had a few conversations. Yet, Adrienne still grew disappointed each time Alex didn't react how she wanted. With just a few words she would find a way to close Alex off. Will had tried to thoughtfully explain it to her but she didn't want to listen.

Will told her Alex was like a cat. He would come to you when he wanted affection. If you tried to hold him down and pet him all you'd get would be scratch marks.

When Will told Alex that comparison he glared. Yet, proving Will's theory correct, Alex nudged Will, wanting his head scratched.

Will swiftly responded to his dad's email. Things weren't perfect between them but Will appreciated his dad trying.

'_I guess just about all of us have moved on,'_ Will mused before getting back to work.

* * *

Alex groaned when his laptop took forever to load his pictures.

'_I need to get a new one,' _Alex huffed. He made a mental note to ask Will to research what kind of laptop he would need. _'Plus he can price shop and feel better about it all.'_

Alex really wanted to get everything uploaded before his meeting. In the meantime though, Alex's thoughts drifted to the envelope EJ gave him for Christmas. It remained unopened in a drawer in the bedroom.

Each night Alex would get it out and each night Alex would put it back in the drawer. Alex wasn't sure if he wanted to know the truth about his mother. For so many years, Alex dreamed and dreamed of finding his mother. But, the older Alex got the smaller that desire got.

'_Besides,'_ Alex told himself. _'Sami's more of a mother-figure than Adrienne or Anjelica ever could be.'_

Hearing a knock at the door to his studio, Alex hollered that it was open.

EJ strolled into Alex's workspace with a briefcase in hand and his signature suit in place.

"Hey," Alex acknowledged before ignoring the man and finishing up his work.

EJ nodded at Alex before setting his briefcase at the nearby desk and laying out his things. EJ was used to Alex's brisk manner now. In fact, after dealing with some of his other clients EJ found the silence somewhat soothing.

After Christmas was over, EJ thought long and hard about what he wanted to do with his life. He knew he couldn't stay at the house forever. Nor could he bother Will all day. EJ went over all of his interests trying to wrack his brain over what he could do.

At the end of the day, EJ knew three things. He was good at practicing law, working for a fortune 500 company, and driving race cars. Unfortunately, he wasn't too keen on doing any of those things anymore.

EJ had become disenchanted with law. He knew personally how the system never truly worked. The idea of going to work for another conglomerate didn't sound appealing. EJ knew he would never work for DiMera Enterprises again. It would lead to too many questions he didn't want to answer. As well as too many temptations or visits to Salem he was keen to avoid. But at the same time EJ could not find it in him to work for any rival company either. That seemed almost a betrayal to his family and the legacy he helped set up.

'_And racing again is out of the question,'_ EJ knew.

That left EJ stuck but not for long.

With nothing left to do, EJ found himself talking to Samantha about her wedding planning business. He started helping Samantha with her business model and talking marketing strategies. Before either knew it Samantha had a legitimate business. She gained employees, an office space, and advertising in all the best bridal magazines.

Samantha went from having two weddings under her belt to being booked solid through March. EJ realized he might not be able to run his own corporation. But, he would be able to help solidify other companies though.

At first EJ just worked with Sami. Eventually, though, he managed to snare Alex into taking on his services too.

While Alex had been doing rather well for himself on his own, EJ decided Alex needed a little boost. So far, through some connections, EJ found Alex a few showings. EJ threw both of their last names around at museums and galleries. He even badgered people with Alex's portfolio until he had three different exhibits downtown too.

'_And just now I have some good news for him,'_ EJ thought happily.

Alex finally walked over to EJ. He didn't know how this partnership started up but he could admit it had been fruitful. Not that he liked having EJ of all people represent him. Alex was also fairly certain that EJ was using more than just his photographs to get these projects.

Alex caught the smug look on EJ's face. _'Oh, god,'_ he thought.

"Why do you look like that?" Alex warily asked.

"Well," EJ cleared his throat. "I managed to sell your latest collection."

Alex raised one brow. "Sell?" he asked doubtfully. "I wasn't aware they were for sale."

"They weren't necessarily," EJ waved that technicality away. "But I found a buyer who is willing to pay top dollar for the whole set."

EJ opened his phone to an email and enlarged the screen for Alex to see the price being offered.

Alex's other eyebrow jumped high onto his forehead. "Uh, wow," he mumbled a bit stupidly.

"Exactly," EJ nodded. "Now, shall I be telling them they have a deal?"

Alex nodded, still in a daze.

EJ responded to the email. "Now," EJ continued. "I'm getting you an interview with _Digital Photography Magazine._ Will is going to need to give you tips on how to behave."

Alex frowned. "I know how to talk about photography," Alex argued.

"Yes," EJ nodded. "That's true. It's just your charming personality you need help with."

Before Alex could answer, EJ continued, "Now, I'm off to another client."

"Who?" Alex couldn't stop himself from wondering.

"I've got an appointment with a small business near Anaheim so I'm in for a bit of a drive," EJ remarked. "I'll make sure to get back with you on all the details."

"Right," Alex mumbled. "Do you happen to know who exactly is buying my photos?"

"Well," EJ chuckled. "I do actually."

Alex blinked at EJ a few times. "You gonna tell me who?" he asked in exasperation.

EJ cleared his throat. "It's Chad."

"Chad?" Alex wrinkled his nose. "Why would Chad be interested in my photos?"

"He liked them," EJ shrugged. "He said he wanted to put them up in the office at TBD…" EJ trailed off.

Alex and EJ shared similar devious smirks.

* * *

"Do we get to ride the horses today?" Sydney asked Will as they walked over to the stable.

"I'm not sure," Will replied. "It's whatever your trainer tells you guys to do."

"I think today is a riding day," Johnny said knowledgably. "The horses need to exercise."

"Yeah," Allie agreed. "The past few days they've only grazed. They need to get a workout."

Will smiled at how enthusiastic everyone was about the animals. All the adults feared the kids would get bored with the horses but that hadn't happened. The four of them were all dedicated to taking care of their horses in every way they could.

Johnny proved right in his assessment. All four kids plus their trainers were warming up the horses a few minutes later.

Ari, normally distracted, was listening intently to her trainer as he led her through the warmup.

Will smiled as he sat on the fence nearby. He watched on as Ari, Allie, Sydney, and Johnny all moved on to cantering the horses. Ari and Sydney had to go at a much slower pace since they were so young and small still.

"Hey," Alex greeted as he hopped up onto the fence besides Will. "They look like they're having fun."

"They are," Will moved in closer to Alex. "They were all proud when they got to tack up their horses."

"I suppose it wasn't a horrible idea to give them ponies," Alex remarked. "Although it does mean I'm forced into more time over here."

"Oh no," Will laughed. "Poor you."

"I think I spend enough time with these people," Alex insisted. "Speaking of, EJ sold some of my photos."

"Really?" Will turned to face Alex.

"Yep," Alex confirmed. "For a pretty penny too."

"Good," Will put his arm around Alex's waist. "Congratulations."

"Thanks," Alex said. "I've been thinking though about what I want my next project to be."

"Oh yeah?" Will wondered.

"Mmm hmm," Alex nodded. "I think I want to use my favorite model slash husband slash life partner again."

"Alex-," Will started to complain.

"Ah, ah, ah," Alex cut Will off. "I found this really awesome mask I want to use."

"Mask?" Will thought it over.

"No one would even know it was you," Alex revealed. "Just think about it."

"I'll think it over," Will agreed. "But no promises."

* * *

Will and Alex walked over to Ari once her lesson was done and it was her turn to rinse off her horse.

Ari was doing her best to get the sweat off of Shining Armor but quickly her trainer stepped in to assist.

Once he was rinsed off and dried, Ari helped walk him around in the sun for a few more minutes. Then they took him inside to brush Shining Armor down.

After checking on the other kids, Will and Alex eventually had to drag them away from the horses. It was time for dinner and to walk back home.

Ari was enthusiastically telling Alex all about her lesson.

"And then I almost fell off," Ari rambled. "But I held on and Shining Armor laughed. I know he did. Mr. Ross said he was sneezing but I know my horsie. He was laughing."

"I'm sure he was," Alex appeased.

"And I brushed his butt," Ari giggled. "He likes it."

"Sounds like Daddy," Alex remarked.

"I heard that," Will yelled from up ahead where he was walking with Johnny.

"I keep telling you I say these things out loud so you will hear them," Alex shook his head.

* * *

"Do you remember how to cook?" Alex asked Sami cynically when they sat down for dinner. Yet again, there was a table full of takeout.

"Yes," Sami sniped. "But I've been busy."

"I could always make dinner and bring it over," Will suggested. He knew how busy his mom had gotten ever since her business started taking off.

"That would be helpful," Sami confirmed. "But you don't have to do it all the time."

"Yes, he does," Alex replied. "Some of us like having cleared arteries."

Sami tossed a biscuit at Alex's head in response.

"Where's Daddy?" Sydney wondered as she came into the room, freshly changed and clean.

"He got a phone call," Sami explained. "He'll be right out."

"It isn't going to be like when he worked before, is it?" Johnny asked with narrowed eyes. "Where he was never around and constantly leaving us alone for projects?"

"Of course not," EJ smoothly said, walking into the room.

Sami looked at EJ oddly. "Are you alright?" she questioned.

EJ rubbed against his temples before nodding. "I'm fine," he told her.

Sami, Will, and Alex all glanced at him at the same time.

* * *

"Alright," Will got comfortable next to Alex on the sofa. "Spill it," he ordered EJ once the kids were all upstairs.

EJ should have known he couldn't get away with saying he was fine.

'_Not around these people,'_ EJ shook his head.

"Who was the phone call from?" Sami demanded, sitting next to EJ.

EJ took a deep breath. He revealed, "My father."

"Uh," Alex stared between Will, Sami, and EJ, gauging their reactions. "The same father that somehow kept you alive and in a strange medical facility on the other side of the world that you had to escape from? That father?"

"Yes," EJ rolled his eyes slightly. "That father."

"What did he say?" Will asked delicately.

"What did he want?" Sami bluntly commanded.

EJ recalled the conversation from one short hour ago.

"_Hello?" EJ said into his phone. _

_EJ was hard at work filling out forms. One of the downsides to coming back from the dead was the paperwork. Distracted, he was entirely unprepared for the voice over the line._

"_So, it is true," came the distinctive accent of one Stefano DiMera. _

_EJ inhaled sharply. _

_He knew one day it would come to this. He knew he couldn't keep his return a secret forever. But he wasn't prepared. He hadn't had enough time. _

_EJ knew what he wanted. He wanted to stay in California with his family. He wanted to continue the work he had started. He did not want to fall back under his father's command. _

"_Father," EJ replied a few moments later. _

"_Imagine my surprise," Stefano said. "When I went to check on your progress. It had been a few months since I had called, I will admit. But my own failing health had taken precedence. So," Stefano continued. "I was in for quite the surprise when the good doctor informed me that I had authorized your return!" _

_EJ frowned when his father's started making a wheezing sound. Chad had filled him in on all his father's misgivings since EJ had left including his dwindling health._

"_Just why?" Stefano asked after he caught his breath. "What have I done to make you stay away?" _

"_Do you really want to get into that?" EJ asked in a low, dangerous tone. _

"_I am your father," Stefano declared. "I am the one that brought you back from the brink of death. Do I not deserve more respect?" _

"_Respect?" EJ hissed. "Respect? When in my entire life have you ever-," EJ began. _

_Stefano fell into a coughing fit. _

_EJ took a deep breath and closed his eyes. _

'Do not fall for this,'_ EJ ordered himself. _'Do not play into whatever plan he's working under now. This has always been a game for him. But you are older, stronger, and wiser now. There is too much at stake for you to get into a petty argument with Father.'

"_Father," EJ said after the coughing was over. "Thank you for providing the resources for bringing me back."_

"_You are welcome, my son," Stefano replied. "Now, when can I expect your return to Salem?" _

"_Never," EJ stated resolutely. _

"_Excuse me?" Stefano frowned in confusion. _

"_I am never returning to Salem, Father," EJ informed him. "Or you."_

"_I am exceedingly grateful that you found a way to revive me," EJ continued. "But I have a life here. My family is here. I am not returning now or ever."_

"_Family?" Stefano argued. "Am I not your family?" _

"_You and I might share the same blood, the same genes," EJ agreed. "But that does not make a family."_

"_I'll always be grateful to you," EJ added. "But I am not getting involved in any more of your plots or plans again."_

_Stefano held his oxygen mask over his mouth and contemplated. Deep down he knew this was a possibility. When Samantha took her children and left, Stefano feared when Elvis returned it would not be for him. Stefano just wished he had more time. _

_More time to plan, more time to guarantee everything went his way, more time to live. After so many brushes with death and near misses, Stefano began to see himself as invincible, impenetrable. Taking note of the wheelchair beneath him and the mask supplying him with air, Stefano knew that was no longer true. _

_For the first time in his life he was flirting with death. A real death with no possibility of rising from the ashes. If it came to that Stefano would have preferred to have all his children by his side both biological and adopted._

'But if I cannot have that,'_ Stefano decided. _'I will make do with what I am given.'

_Stefano cleared his throat. "If that is the way you feel, my son," Stefano declared. "So be it." _

_EJ was doubtful. "That's it then? No arguing, no vendettas, no typical DiMera fanfare?" _

"_I am old," Stefano gruffly responded. "In every sense of the word. I have too much to do and too little time to do it now. I cannot waste any of it on someone who no longer wants to be a member of this family." _

"_Besides," Stefano concluded. "You are not my only child to come back from the dead recently."_

"_What are you talking about?" EJ couldn't help but ask. _

"_While Kristen does seem to be lost for the time being," Stefano mused. "Andre has returned." _

_EJ frowned. "Since when is that man alive or even your child?" EJ wondered. _

"_Don't be envious," Stefano chuckled. "Just a few technicalities. But I do have my hands full with Andre and Chad both. There is still hope for my legacy even without your assistance."_

"_So, what?" EJ sighed. "I just trust that you'll leave me in peace." _

"_Just like I will have to trust that you'll do the same," Stefano answered back. "Call it our last act of paternal bonding," Stefano suggested. _

"_Fine," EJ declared. "A cease-fire."_

"_Yes," Stefano nodded. He began coughing again. "I think that is the best you and I can agree to now."_

"_Goodbye, son," Stefano said. _

"_Goodbye, Father," EJ parroted, a bittersweet emotion running through him._

"Wow," Will whispered. "That's probably the most subdued Stefano has ever been."

"Do you think he meant it?" Alex demanded.

"I have no idea," EJ admitted. "I'll ensure that Chad stays atop of the situation for us. But for now it seems that my father and everything associated with him will remain in Salem."

"Are you OK?" Sami questioned. While she was ecstatic she knew EJ loved his father. This had to be hard for him.

"I think so," EJ finally answered. "My father was a part of my life I'd like to leave behind. It wasn't all bad. It did bring me to you," EJ grabbed Samantha's hand. "But we're no longer the people we used to be."

"No," Sami agreed. "We're definitely not."

"Well," Will said as EJ quieted down. "It sounds like old age has softened Stefano."

"Yes," EJ nodded. "If he was even ten years younger he would have known every move we've been making. But, as you said, he's gotten soft."

"Good," Alex stated. "We definitely don't need him fucking anything up for us."

"You know," EJ began with a soft smile towards Samantha. "When you first knocked on my door the day we first met I never thought we'd end up here."

EJ made a wide sweeping motion with his hand. "Regular careers, a normal house, 4.5 children, a grandchild" EJ sighed wistfully.

"Why am I always considered half a child?" Alex wondered.

Everyone ignored Alex in favor of enjoying the peaceful moment.

* * *

"Tomorrow is show-and-tell and I want to bring Shining Armor," Ari informed Will and Alex. They just finished with her bedtime story.

"You can't take a horse to school," Alex told her dryly.

"But why?" Ari whined.

"For starters he wouldn't fit in the classroom," Will laughed. "Plus all the kids would scare him. You can bring your pictures of him."

"Fine," Ari pouted. "But it's not the same."

"Oh, yeah," Alex sighed. "You lead a sad life. You can't take your pony to preschool. Whatever will you do?"

Will smacked Alex's arm lightly. "Maybe one day you can take some friends to see him. But not for a while."

Ari thought it over. "OK," she agreed.

"Daddy, Alex," Ari told them around a yawn. "I love you."

"Love you too, baby girl," Will responded as he kissed her forehead.

"Love you," Alex said, kissing her cheek.

"Nighty, night," Ari sighed once they turned on her night light and left her room.

* * *

Alex went into the bedroom and headed for the drawer he shoved the envelope EJ gave him for Christmas in. Every night he would take it out, fiddle with it, before chickening out and putting it away.

"What are you thinking?" Will asked, seeing the now familiar envelope in Alex's hands.

"I don't know," Alex replied. "That Stefano, EJ stuff got me thinking. Even they have some form of closure. I don't know really anything about my mom especially after she ditched me."

"Well," Alex amended. "I know things about her they are just not very good."

"That doesn't mean anything," Will reminded Alex. "Everyone says horrible things about my mom and she's fantastic."

"But we know her," Alex said. "I don't know anything about Anjelica."

"If you open that envelope you will," Will pointed out.

"Yeah," Alex sighed.

"And besides," Will moved closer to Alex. "Even if you find out something bad you still have my mom."

"I'm curious," Alex admitted. "But I think deep down I know that no matter what Sami is the only mom I've ever really had."

"You could just throw the envelope away," Will suggested. "But you'll always wonder, won't you? One way or another."

"Yeah," Alex puffed out a bit of air. "OK, I'm gonna open it."

Like ripping off a band aid, Alex opened the envelope and pulled out a stack of papers.

Will eagerly read over the same documents Alex did. There were old tax forms, change of address papers, a marriage license, and a death certificate.

"Dead," Alex stated. "Well, that figures."

Will looked it over. "About a decade ago," Will noted.

The two continued poring over the other documents. From what they could tell after giving Alex back to Justin, Anjelica drifted for a while before finding herself another rich husband. She lived a comfortable life as a trophy wife before dying of lung cancer a few years ago.

"Now you know," Will rubbed against Alex's back.

"Yeah," Alex nodded. "I guess it's nice to know she didn't have a million more kids after she kicked me to the curb."

"She didn't," Will agreed. He didn't want to make any assumptions about the woman but he would wager Alex was at least a little bit special.

"How do you feel?" Will asked.

"Fine," Alex decided. "It's nice to know what happened to her but it doesn't really change anything. She could have tried to meet me over the years and never did."

"It's like you said before," Will put his head on Alex's shoulder. "You already found a mom and a family."

Alex held onto Will tightly.

"This morning," Will told Alex. "I kept thinking about my life before."

"Before?" Alex questioned.

"Before you," Will clarified. "It's kind of weird," Will confessed. "When I left Salem I thought I'd ruined everything. I thought that was it, my one chance at happiness. I guess I had to lose everything to find out that wasn't true."

"And I had to gain a lot to realize how much I was missing," Alex decided. "It is pretty strange how everything's worked out though."

"My dad is with your grandma," Alex said.

"My dad is with Adrienne," Will added.

"Sonny and Paul are together," Alex continued. "Mom and EJ are back together."

"And Vic is still seeing Brittany," Will revealed.

"I guess it's just Joey that's the odd one out," Alex chuckled.

"Well," Will gave Alex a small smile. "I don't know if that's entirely true."

"What do you know?" Alex demanded.

Will thought back to a conversation he had with Joey when he visited for Christmas.

"_I was wondering if you could do me a favor," Will flashed Joey what he hoped was a sweet, innocent smile. _

"_That remains to be seen," Joey replied. "What do you want?" _

"_Nothing bad," Will insisted. "It's just I have a friend in Salem still that's kind of lonely. I don't think many people go to visit her a lot anymore. Both her older brothers are out of town. Her sister is dead. Her parents are pretty MIA." _

"_And?" Joey crossed his arms. He wanted to agree but the last time Will wanted to introduce him to a girl got Vic a girlfriend instead of him._

"_I just was hoping maybe you'd go and see her once a week or every few weeks," Will asked. "I know it would really help her out."_

_Joey planned on saying no and then he saw Will's puppy dog eyes. _

"_Damn it," Joey complained. "Fine, fine, just stop looking at me like that." _

"_Thank you, thank you, thank you," Will praised. "I promise she's really nice and you'll get along great."_

"_If you say so," Joey rolled his eyes. "How is this going to work? Do we meet somewhere or something?" _

"_You pretty much have to go to her," Will stated. _

"_OK," Joey shrugged. "Where would that be?" _

"_In prison," Will declared with a winning smile. _

"_What?" Joey demanded, crossing his arms. _

"_She's great," Will added. "She only killed her ex-husband, nothing to worry about." _

"_What?" Joey screeched. _

"_Hey, Ari," Will called over. He knew he was losing Joey. "Guess what, princess?" _

"_What?" Ari wondered, itching to get back to her toys. _

"_Uncle Joey offered to visit Mommy every week," Will said in an excited voice. "Aren't you happy?" _

_Ari started jumping up and down and clapping. _

"_Yay," Ari cheered. _

_Joey glared at Will. "That's not even fair," Joey complained. _

"_But Joey," Will gestured to Ari. "You wouldn't want to disappoint her would you?" _

"Let me get this straight," Alex said. "Joey and Gabi are a thing? Even though she's in jail?"

"It sounds like it," Will shrugged. "I just wanted Gabi to have visitors but if they want to have conjugal visits who am I to stop them."

"Alright," Alex finally said. "My brother could be dating your baby mama."

"And we thought our familial connections couldn't get any more awkward," Will laughed.

"Definitely never thought this would be my life," Alex said with a shake of his head.

"Me either," Will agreed. "But it's kind of what inspired my writing today."

"Inspired?" Alex questioned. "So, you actually know what you want to write about now?"

"Yeah," Will nodded enthusiastically. "I was thinking about how I thought my life was over but it wasn't. I think moving on and second chances are really something I can work with."

"You're a big sap," Alex declared. "But that sounds good."

"Come on," Will grabbed the papers about Alex's mother and tossed them on their dresser. "Let's get ready for bed."

"Going to sleep at 9:30 on Wednesday," Alex shook his head and followed after Will. "So boring and domesticated."

"I didn't saying anything about sleeping," Will snatched Alex's hand. With a big smile Will pulled Alex towards the bathroom.

* * *

_Will was yanked into the hotel room, stumbling over his own feet. Will didn't even get a chance to speak before being disrobed. The stranger with big blue eyes started unbuttoning Will's shirt, lips still connected. _

_The minute he pushed Will's shirt off his shoulders, Will's anxieties flared up. Will had been working out regularly but he wasn't sure if Blue Eyes would be satisfied with him. _

'I'm not as skinny as I was when I was a teenager,'_ Will thought. _'What if he wants someone skinny? Am I too bulky? What if he doesn't like what he sees?'

_This was the first time someone would be seeing him naked since Will's divorce. Will was nervous. _

_Alex pulled the blonde's shirt off as quickly as he could and started working on his pants. _

"_Fuck," Alex groaned looking over the man's body. _'Fuck, I want my camera.'

_Will swallowed nervously as he stepped out of his pants and underwear. He had kicked his shoes carelessly to the side. _

_Alex pushed the blonde onto the bed and worked on his own clothes. _

_Admiring the blonde, Alex commented, "God, I can't wait to put my mouth on you." _

_Alex smirked wickedly when the man licked his lips and blushed. Alex had never gone for the wallflower type before. Typically he enjoyed going for the one that was sought after. He wanted to find the most popular in the room and watch as they fell all over him. But there was something about this one. _

"_Oh, god," Will said out loud. The more clothing the man removed it became apparent how good looking he was. _

"_Like what you see?" Alex wondered with a grin. _

_Will nodded dumbly, hand reaching out to touch the man's stomach. Will didn't think it was fair to have a face and eyes that nice and still look that good naked. _

'What does this guy even see in me?'_ Will thought. His hands were mapping the expanse of skin in front of him._

"_Good," Alex declared before pouncing. _

_Will's head hit the pillows and every insecurity fled. He had never been kissed this way before. It felt like the man was trying to consume Will, swallow every thought until there was nothing left but him. _

_Alex ran his hands up and down the blonde's sides. His fingers caught on a scar near his stomach. Alex wondered vaguely what it was from. Throwing the thought away, Alex lifted up the blonde's thighs and laid down directly on top of him. Naked skin to naked skin. _

_Will groaned at the sensation, fingers digging into the man's thick hair. He had no idea when his hands even moved there. He literally couldn't think this close to Blue Eyes. _

_Alex gently thrust against the blonde. Their cocks touched briefly, enticingly. _

"_What do you want to do?" Alex whispered in the blonde's ear. His mouth trailed from the blonde's kiss swollen lips to the shell of his ears. "Hmm?" _

_Will tried to think. He really did but it was impossible. _

"_I don't know," Will practically whined. He gasped when their cocks made contact again. _

_Alex chuckled darkly. "Do you want to rub your pretty little cock against me?" he teased. "Want me to swallow around you? Fuck you? What?" _

"_Fuck me?" Will asked still not sure. _

"_And how do you want it?" Alex knew sex between men was different than a stereotypical view of sex. Some guys considered different things fucking. _

"_What do you mean?" Will frowned. _

_Alex pulled away to look at those pretty blue eyes again. "What do you mean?" he asked. _

_Will opened and closed his mouth a few times. He didn't know. He really, really didn't. _

"_Fuck," Alex closed his eyes. "You are hitting all sorts of kinks I didn't even know I had."_

"_OK," Alex cupped the blondes face. "Do you want us to suck each other off? Jerk each other? Penetrate, what?" _

"_P-penetrate," Will cautiously said. The minute Blue Eyes mentioned it Will wanted to salivate. The thought of the man using those strong thighs to rock inside of Will made him blush. _

"_And you want me inside of you?" Alex questioned again. He didn't know why he was being so gentle. Normally he would push and press until he got what he wanted._

'But there's just something about this guy,'_ Alex thought again. _

_Will nodded and bit his lip. "Y-yeah," he responded. "Unless you don't want that. We could do it the other way. I have befo-," _

"_Shh," Alex ordered, finger over the blonde's mouth. Alex lifted up and off the bed to grab his bag. He riffled to find a condom and lube. _

_Will watched nervously when Blue Eyes got off the bed. _

_Tossing the items near the blonde, Alex crawled on his knees and stopped in front of him. "Trust me, pet," the name slipped through Alex's lips unbidden. "All I've been thinking about since we started dancing is getting myself nice and deep inside you." _

_Will shivered. _

_Alex grabbed the bottle of lube and opened it. To distract the blonde, he leaned forward again and captured his lips. _

_Will moaned, body instantly responding to his mouth and touch. When he felt one thick finger sliding inside of him Will bit on the man's lip. _

"_Fuck," Alex whispered in delight._

_Alex slowly, teasingly opened the blonde up. It didn't take a genius to realize it had been a while since he was fucked. Alex knew that was going to make their time together even better. _

"_Can't wait to feel you gripping my cock like you're gripping my fingers," he whispered into the blonde's ear. "Are you going to make those cute little whimpers too?" _

"_Oh, god," Will panted. He didn't know if he could take any more teasing. _

"_Are you ready, pet?" Alex mused, tongue licking the shell of the blonde's cute little pointed ear._

"_Yes, yes, yes," Will chanted. _

_Alex found the condom and unraveled it before applying more lube. _

_Will wanted to close his eyes in discomfort once Blue Eyes entered him but he didn't. Instead he held the man's stare and exhaled, pushing out. _

_Alex held himself steady inside of the blonde. It was harder than he thought. Once he felt the man unfurling around him, Alex wanted to pound for all he was worth. But he had to wait at least a minute to let the blonde relax, adjust. _

'Don't be a fucking asshole, Kiriakis,'_ Alex ordered himself. _

_Will held onto Blue Eyes' wide shoulders and tried not to wince. It had been so long since he felt this stretched and connected to someone else. But he couldn't wait anymore. Instead of vocalizing his needs, Will pulled away slightly before falling back down. _

"_Fuck," Alex groaned. He planted his knees on the mattress and started rocking slowly, building up a steady rhythm. _

_Will wrapped his legs around the man's waist, meeting him thrust for thrust enthusiastically. _

"_Feels good," Will breathed out, winded. "Feels so good." _

_Alex put one hand behind the blonde's neck and yanked him into a wet kiss. _

_With their tongues twisting and bodies grinding into each other, Will found himself closer and closer to the edge. His cock was rubbing against the dips of the man's abs. _

_Alex's breath hitched when he felt the blonde contracting around him, spilling between their stomachs. "Fuck," Alex clamped one hand on the blonde's ass and started thrusting as hard as he could through the other man's orgasm. _

_Will fell back against the pillows. He was somehow both relaxed and worked up at the same time. _'It's been entirely too long since I've done that,' _Will decided. _

"_Fuck," Alex moaned as he gently pulled out of the blonde. He tossed his condom in what he hoped was the direction of the trash. _

_Alex flopped next to the blonde and laughed. "I was so right about the whimpers," he teased. _

"_Shut up," Will snorted around a giggle. _

_Alex didn't know what he was doing. Small talk after fucking was not his forte. _

"_I just hadn't been fucked like that in a while," Will bashfully replied. _

_Alex liked seeing the flush on the man's face brighten. He liked watching it spread down his neck and towards his chest. He liked way too much about this experience. _

"_Is that so?" Alex hummed. He glanced at the blonde's naked, gleaming body. "I think I'm just going to have to make up for lost time," Alex declared. _

_Will fell into another deep kiss easily. _

"_Jesus," Alex moaned, gripping the blonde's hips tightly. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." _

_Will backed against Blue Eyes' cock, hands finding purchase against the slippery shower wall. _

"_We were supposed to be cleaning off," Will reminded the man, breath hitching. _

"_Stop looking so fucking good, then," Alex reprimanded._

_Will laughed which caused Alex to groan. _

"_Goddamn it," Alex complained. "It's like you want me to get addicted to your sexy, perfect body." _

_Alex smirked when he saw the back of the blonde's neck blushing oh so prettily. _

"_So good," Alex continued. One of his hands slipped down around to the man's cock. "So, so good for me."_

"_God," Will threw his head back, resting it on Blue Eyes' shoulder. "More," Will moaned. _

_Alex started jerking the blonde's cock in time with his thrusts. "Gonna come all over the shower, pet? Gonna make me clean you all over again?" _

"_Yes," Will confirmed. "Yes, please." _

"_Shh," Alex hushed. "Just let go, pet." _

_Will arched his back and worked with Alex's thrusts, letting go off all the tension inside of him. _

"_Yes," Alex praised. It only took a few more thrusts to follow after the blonde. _

_Will pulled away from the man and whined. His muscles were so sore and his body so stretched. He hadn't gone through anything like that in ages. _

_Alex wiped the water from the showerhead off his face. He looked over the blonde's body, a long assessing glance. _

'God, he's good looking,'_ Alex decided. He was right earlier. There was something about the blonde that got Alex going. _

_Will felt his face heating up knowing the man was looking at him. _

"_Stop it," Will ordered, rinsing his body off. _

"_No," Alex gave the man a small smile. "Can't," Alex admitted. _

"_I'm sure you can," Will chuckled. _

"_Maybe," Alex grabbed a bottle of shower gel and began to once again wash over the blonde's body. "But I don't want to." _

_Will stepped away from the wandering hands. "Nope," Will shook his head. "That's what got us into this mess in the first place." _

"_Fine," Alex conceded, peeling off another condom. Alex watched Will's own hands glide over his own body. "I can work with this just fine."_

* * *

"I'm kind of ridiculously in love with you," Alex panted between slow, wet kisses.

"I noticed," Will responded playing with the sweat soaked hair at the base of Alex's neck.

Alex propped himself above Will, letting his heartrate slow down to a gentle thump. He kissed Will one more time.

"Thanks for dancing with me the night we met," Alex said. His words were low and gentle but he was staring right into Will's eyes.

"Thanks for noticing me across the room," Will replied. He pulled Alex back down for another kiss. "I love you," he whispered.

"Let's go hose off," Alex suggested. He helped pull Will's loose limbs off the bed.

"You say that like it's going to be quick," Will laughed.

Alex smirked. "I don't think we've ever had that problem."

"Good thing we bought a house with bedrooms were on opposite sides," Will remarked.

"Very good," Alex commented. "Our sex life would be boring if we had to keep quiet all the time."

"I don't think anyone could ever accuse us of being boring in bed, or in the car, or outside, or-," Will began.

Alex cut Will off with a kiss.

"Less talking more getting your naked ass in the shower," Alex ordered.

Will grinned before walking into the bathroom and starting the shower. Alex admired Will, water droplets drifting down his bare skin.

"Alex," Will called out, embarrassed.

"Sorry," Alex shook his head. "Déjà vu," he mumbled before closing the bathroom door and joining Will.

THE END

* * *

Author's note:

I'm not really sure what to write here. I've been writing this for such a long time it's very bittersweet ending it.

Thank you to each and every reader. I appreciate every one of you. Thank you all for your support, encouragement, inspiration, and ideas.

Thank you for reading this story and please leave any comments or questions.

A very big thank you to iluvh0rs3s. I know this story never would have come this far without you.


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